The Beaton Trail

NEW BLOG

2009-07-09T14:03:00.000-07:00

Thanks to some help from friends, I am moving my blog to http://craigsbeaton.wordpress.com/ : I will be able to do more with the wordpress software and will hopefully be more devout in posting sermons, thoughts, and more.

Please keep following the Beaton Trail at http://craigsbeaton.wordpress.com/ !

Bread for the World

2009-03-23T06:14:00.001-07:00

This morning we’ve considered the mission of the Father, Son, and Spirit to save the world. And this Table likewise reflects this mission. In John 6:51 Jesus says, “I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.” Here we see that the salvation of the world through Jesus takes on a Eucharistic shape... The life and salvation of the world are connected to eating the flesh of Jesus. The giving of His flesh reflects the Father’s love for the world in giving His Son over to death. Jesus came to do the will of His Father and drank the cup He was given. In order to receive life and salvation from His death on the cross the world must feed upon Him. This ‘eating’ corresponds to the ‘faith’ of those who believe in His name, do not perish, and now possess everlasting life. It is that faith that you express at this Table in eating and drinking the bread and the wine. These actions symbolize your active participation in the death of Christ for as Paul says it is a communion in His body and blood. The elements do not change in substance to become such, but rather by faith we feed upon His flesh though He remains in heaven. It is through this active participation in the flesh of Christ that the Father and Son by the Spirit are now renewing and bringing life to the world. Eventually all the nations of the earth will join us at this Table as men and women, boys and girls, stream into Zion from north, south, east, and west.

Lent and Life

2009-03-23T06:11:00.000-07:00

The season of Lent is really a microcosm, a miniature picture, of the Christian life as a whole. The discipline of denying ourselves, taking up our individual crosses each day, and following in the steps of Jesus should characterize our lives as Christians all year round. This shouldn’t, however, be registered as an argument against the value of Lent. We could make the very argument about the Lord’s Day. The worship, refreshment of body and soul, and works of mercy that characterize this Day are by no means to be confined to one day in seven. Rather by directing our full attention to these practices for one day in seven we are training ourselves to live, work, worship, and rest like this throughout the week. The season of Lent relates to the rest of the year in the same way. By directing our attention to the sufferings and death of Christ and our calling to follow Him in the way of the cross we are cultivating a cruciform, literally cross-formed, life that will be manifest throughout the year. So as you focus on the sufferings and death of Christ; and as you give yourselves to the practices of almsgiving, prayer, and fasting throughout the season of Lent; don’t even begin to entertain the notion that this focus and these practices are somehow unique to these forty days. Rather, allow this focus and these practices to give shape to your lives as individuals and as families. In this way the Church of Jesus will again be known as a house of prayer and alms for the nations of the earth. In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Amen!

Divisions and the Table

2009-03-23T06:08:00.000-07:00

In the sermon we considered how the people of God are always prone to putting obstacles in the way of those who would draw near to God. Nowhere is this propensity more clearly revealed than here at this Table. Think of the ways that various churches rope off the Table and keep folks in the outer courts. If you’re too young, or mentally infirm; if you’ve not been baptized in the correct branch of the church, or are unable correctly to parse out the way in which Christ is/not present spiritually/materially in the bread and the wine, then in many, many traditions, you are not welcome at this Table. In these ways and countless others the church has kept other Christians at a distance and failed to realize the visible unity of the Church that the one loaf symbolizes. Brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus, baptism and communing at this Table define who is “in” and who is “out.” This is not the Table of the Reformed, or Episcopalians, or Lutherans, EO, or RC, it is the Table of the Lord. He decides who can come and who can’t. Let the unity that is manifested at this Table shape the way you view and treat your brothers and sisters in Christ both within and without this congregation and our denomination. Strengthened by the body and blood of Christ, endeavor to live peaceably with all those bought with the blood of Christ. You’ve been blessed and given grace in order that you might bless and extend grace to one another and to all men. Rejoice in the grace that you receive at this Table, but don’t keep it all to yourself!

Put Your Trust in the Lord

2009-03-23T06:07:00.000-07:00

In this morning’s Gospel Lesson we will consider John’s account of Jesus clearing the Temple near the beginning of His public ministry. In going after the Temple Jesus was targeting the primary symbol of Jewish identity. Under the old covenant the Temple was the cosmic center of the universe. It was the earthly dwelling place of God, the locus of sacrificial worship, and the center of political influence. Sadly, at times in Israel’s history the symbolic importance of the Temple became an end in itself and the people began to put their trust in the Temple, rather than Yahweh. For many Jews in the first century the Temple had become nothing more than a talisman, a symbol obligating God to bless and protect Israel. And we can so easily do the same with the symbols of God’s presence with us (Word, Sacraments, Prayer). We’re tempted to think that simply by doing these things God is somehow obligated to bless us. But when we do this we turn the means of grace into ends in and of themselves. When Israel began to trust in the Temple rather than in Yahweh, the Temple had to be destroyed. Even so when you begin to trust in your church attendance, devotional practices, or even the sacraments rather than in Jesus Christ, God is not pleased. You are gathered here this morning, not to force God’s hand, but humbly to receive His grace. Your trust shouldn’t be placed in anything we do here this morning, but rather in who Jesus is and what He has done for us and for our salvation.

Cross and Table

2009-03-23T06:04:00.000-07:00

Well this morning we’ve seen how the way of Jesus to the cross has set down both the pattern and basis for our way of the cross. And it is this pattern and basis that we proclaim and celebrate here this morning. For as you pass the bread and proclaim, “My life for yours,” you are proclaiming your willingness to follow Christ in the way of the cross. You’re saying that even as Jesus laid down his life for you, even so you, out of love for Christ, as a result of His gospel, and in accordance with His Word, even so will lay down your life for your one another. You’re saying that just as Jesus denied Himself and took up His cross, even so will you. And yet as you pass the cup and proclaim, “Christ’s blood for your sins,” you are proclaiming your failure to do so. Only Jesus has denied Himself and taken up the way of/to the cross in perfect obedience. And it only as His blood makes you clean that you will be able to follow Him in this way. What would you give in exchange for this bread and wine?

Move it!

2009-03-23T06:03:00.000-07:00

This morning we will consider the summons to follow Jesus in the way of the cross. This sense of movement is central to the Gospel of Mark leading one scholar to call Mark “the gospel of The Way.” Indeed, the Church itself was simply referred to as “the Way” in Acts. This is all quite fitting given the fact that Jesus referred to Himself as “the Way.” But this sense of movement is mostly lost on us, particularly those of us in the Reformed tradition. For us Jesus is at best a person to be studied or still worse a proposition to be affirmed. Sure one of the propositions we affirm is “Jesus is Lord” and so we’ll even throw around expressions like “the obedience of faith,” but I’m concerned that we do all of this while still firmly planted on rear ends! The Lord Jesus Christ, however, has laid down a way that is to be followed, which requires closing our books every once in awhile, turning off our televisions and iPods, and actually employing our bodies in advancing His kingdom. You can even see this movement within the liturgy this morning. As the Lord raises you from your knees in confession to your feet in consecration; and again from your seats in communion to your feet in the commission/benediction; he is training you in the basic movements of life. The Christian life is not static and impersonal, but dynamic, personal, and engaging. So as the Lord engages you this day in Word and Sacrament, be sure to respond by engaging the world for His sake. In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit!

Food for the Weary

2009-03-23T06:00:00.000-07:00

This morning we considered how Jesus’ baptism thrust Him into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan. And we saw how, in the midst of the wilderness testing, angels ministered to Him. In same way we saw how the angel of the LORD provided Elijah with bread and water to sustain him on his 40 day journey. Though the bread and wine spread before you weren’t necessarily provided by angels, they are nevertheless one way that Jesus comes to your aid. Knowing your weakness and frailty, He, in His unsearchable wisdom, provides His body and blood to sustain you in your struggle against sin. He has given His body and blood for you so that so you would know you are forgiven. Where sin abounds, grace abounds much more. Here at this Table we obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need because here at this Table we find Jesus and the emblems of His death for us. And the help spoken of in that verse is help in the midst of temptation. Therefore come to this Table and find grace and strength to stand and shine in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation.

The Day of Feasting

2009-03-23T05:59:00.000-07:00

Though the season of Lent is a penitential season marked by almsgiving, prayer, and fasting, we must remember that Sunday always remains the day of resurrection and feasting. It was for this reason that the early church actually prohibited fasting on the Lord’s Day. They would observe regular days of fasting on Wednesdays and Fridays, but never on Sunday. So if you’ve taken up the practice of fasting during Lent, don’t practice it today. Today is the day of feasting and rejoicing in the presence of the Lord. In the West the Sundays in Lent stand outside of the 40 days, almost invading them, to bring us refreshment and strength for the journey. Just as we will read this morning of the angels ministering to Jesus while He was in the wilderness, even so the Lord ministers to us each and every Lord’s Day as we make our way through the wilderness of this life. This reminds us that we always labor in light of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. And our celebration of the Christian Year does nothing to change that. Sunday is, and must ever remain, the Day of days!

Seeing, eating, drinking

2009-02-24T08:02:00.000-08:00

In this morning’s Gospel lesson we saw a number of allusions to Exodus 24 when the glory cloud of God’s presence descended upon Mount Sinai. One of the other things we find Moses and the elders doing on the mountain in Exodus 24 is sharing a meal. Exodus 24:11 says, “So they saw God, and they ate and they drank.” This eating and drinking with God comes at the end of what some have described as a covenant renewal service very much like our own. They have already been called by God to appear before Him on Sinai, which has required their cleansing and consecration by the reading of the Book of the Covenant. They have been called, cleansed, and consecrated, and then “they saw God, and they ate and drank.” Beloved that is very same pattern that has brought you to this Table this morning. Only unlike Exodus 24 you need not remain at the base of the mountain like the people, or mid-way up like the seventy and even the priests. No, you are invited right into the middle of the glory cloud of God’s presence to eat and drink with Him. As His light has shined in your heart through the preaching of the gospel this day, He bids you come and “behold as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, ...being transformed into the same image from glory to glory,…by the Spirit of the Lord.”

Where we're headed

2009-02-24T07:59:00.000-08:00

As I already mentioned Transfiguration Sunday marks the end of the season of Epiphany before we begin the journey of Lent. As with any journey it helps to know where you are headed before you set out. The Transfiguration tells us where the journey of Lent will end. That is because the Transfiguration of Jesus is a sneak preview of the Resurrection of Jesus and Easter is the final destination of Lent. The glorification of Jesus on the mount of Transfiguration gave Jesus a taste of the joy set before Him for which He endured the way of the cross. Yet this glorification of Jesus also gives us a picture of the glory that awaits all those who suffer with Jesus in order to be raised with Him. You were created and redeemed in order to shine with Jesus. That is where we, who have put our faith in Christ, are headed. The way from here to there is way of the cross. So before embarking on that journey this Wednesday let us together fix our eyes upon the glory of Jesus this Day. For this morning we ourselves will be given a taste of the joy set before us for which we likewise endure the way of the cross.

Food to Sustain

2009-02-24T07:58:00.000-08:00

Last week we noted Jesus’ unwavering commitment to fulfill His vocation. We saw how He viewed doing the will of God as His food – it was what sustained Him. Indeed when the devil tempted Him with food during His 40 day fast in the wilderness, He replied, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but every word of God.” He’s saying, though food is necessary to sustain your life, it is not sufficient in and of itself to sustain your life. Something more is needed for you to live the life that God has called you to live. Jesus says that “something more” is “every word of God.” Note it’s not just “a few words of God,” or “some words of God,” but “every word of God.” Jesus is saying that in order for you to be sustained to live the life that God has called you to live – as a man or a woman, as a husband and/or a father, as a wife and/or a mother, as a son or a daughter, as a student, as an employee or an employer – you need to know what Paul called “the whole counsel” of God’s Word. Indeed, Jesus Himself is quoting the Word of God from Deut. 8:3 to make this very point. This practice indicates not only a deep familiarity with the Word of God, but also the ability to apply it to life. Yet, as with prayer, isn’t it so often the case that the pattern of our life fails to corresponds to this necessity. If you want to live life well, faithfully fulfilling your callings, then you must make the Word of God central to your life. That is no doubt part of the reason you are here this morning. Even though, as we’ve seen in The Lord's Service, the primary purpose of the covenant renewal service is not education, nevertheless the Word of God is prominent and is intended to convey both a deep and broad understanding of Scripture and its application to your lives. Yet even this weekly diet of Scripture is not enough to sustain you. You need to build upon what you will read, and hear, and sing here this morning so that your life and the life of your family will become permeated by the Word of God. It is in this way that “every word of God” will sustain you to live the lives that God calls you to live.

Sabbath Meal

2009-02-24T07:56:00.000-08:00

This morning we’ve seen that Jesus came to usher in an age of unending Sabbath consisting in peace and rest with God in His presence. In the sermon I made the point that this is why He performed so many healings on the Sabbath – He was enacting the peace and rest for which the Sabbath stood. I think it’s also why he spent so much time feasting. Nothing better communicates peace and rest than a meal. Remember that peace in the Bible doesn’t refer to the absence of conflict, but rather the presence of blessing. The former is shallow, even empty, but the latter is deep and full. Peace in the Bible, shalom, refers to wholeness and restoration of relationships between God and man and among mankind. When Jesus ate and drank with outcasts, He was offering them restoration, peace with God through Him. And rest in the Bible is most often connected to God’s presence. The Sabbath was the day when God drew near to His people and summoned them to rest. In the tabernacle and temple He assumed His resting place in the midst of His people. When Jesus ate and drank with His disciples at the Last Supper, they reclined and rested in the presence of God in the flesh. And this peace and rest for which the Sabbath stood and which Jesus enacted is yours in this meal. In eating and drinking this bread and wine you experience peace, wholeness and restoration both with God and with one another. Likewise in receiving this bread and wine you experience true rest with God in the presence of His Son by His Spirit. It is to this Table that your Savior beckons you to come and find rest for your souls. For here we hold up the emblems of our peace with God, the body and blood of Christ, and He remembers and renews His covenant with us. What could be more restful than knowing that you are at peace with God? So come and let us eat and drink in peace and at rest with our God! In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen!

Sabbath Rest

2009-02-24T07:54:00.000-08:00

In this morning’s Gospel lesson we learn that Jesus’ Sabbath healings were intended to usher in the true and unending Sabbath, consisting in peace and rest with God in His presence. The whole OT period can be seen as a movement towards this peace and rest with God. It is the peace and rest that Adam was to have experienced on that first Sabbath Day in the Garden, but which was thwarted by the Serpent. Thus instead of peace and rest in the presence of God, Adam was banished from the Garden to experience discord and hardship. But God sent another Adam, the Seed of the Woman, in the midst of this discord and hardship to conquer the Serpent and bring man back into the Garden to enjoy peace and rest with God. That is what Jesus was doing in His Sabbath healings. He was telling the people that peace and rest with God could be restored in the kingdom He was preaching. The peace and rest with God that the Sabbath stood for was never to be confined to one day in seven, but was to spill out and transform the other six days. The Sabbath was a picture of what God was going to do the world. Well that Sabbath, and all that it stood for, arrived in Jesus Christ. In Him you are readmitted to the Garden to enjoy peace and rest with God. In Him you have entered the true and unending Sabbath. That is why we worship on the first day of the week. The Sabbath that Jesus spent in the tomb marked the end of the OT Sabbath as the Last Adam suffered the penalty of the first Adam’s Sabbath sin. When he rose again the next day, He threw open the doors to a new week for the world, an eighth day that surpasses the first seven in every way. And yet we know that we don’t yet fully experience the peace and rest with God that Jesus came to bring. Each week as you kneel to confess your sins you’re reminded of the truth that, “there remains therefore a Sabbath-rest for the people of God.” And each week you’re given a foretaste of that rest that is to spill out and transform this rest of your week. What we do here this morning is a picture of what God wants to do to the world!

A Table of Refreshment

2009-02-05T07:13:00.000-08:00

This morning we’ve been considering the spiritual conflict in which both Jesus and the Church are engaged. Well, in the midst of this conflict the Lord has spread this Table in the presence of our enemies in order to strengthen and renew us for this fight. In 2 Tim. 4:4 Paul terms this holy war in which we are engaged, “the good fight.” And he says that he has waged this war by faith. Elsewhere in Eph. 6:16 he singles out “the shield of faith” above the rest of the “armor of God” as being especially useful in this fight. This is because by the shield of faith “you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.” Well beloved this Table strengthens and renews us for battle by strengthening and renewing our faith. For here in the bread and wine our faith finds its object. Faith always has an object. We’re not to put faith in faith, even justification by faith. We’re to put our faith in Jesus Christ. And here at this Table our faith is exercised, it’s trained, to seek out its proper object. Faith is like a muscle. It must be used in order to grow strong. Well, the only way to come to this Table is to come by faith, believing in the death and resurrection of Christ for you. Even if your faith is weak or wavering, this Table has been appointed for you. Jesus says to you, “Come unto to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Are you feeling worn out and beaten down by the battle against the world, the flesh, and the devil? Then this Table is for you. Your Savior tells you He is gentle and lowly in heart and that in coming to Him you will find rest for your souls. His body was broken and His blood was shed that you might experience peace and rest in His presence. So come, feeding upon Him by faith and find this rest. And in resting, find your faith renewed.

Prepare for Battle

2009-02-05T07:11:00.002-08:00

In this morning’s Gospel lesson we’ll read of Jesus cleansing a man who is possessed by an unclean spirit. Mark places this miracle first in order to reveal the true nature of the conflict in which Jesus and the Church are engaged. We’re engaged in holy war, but not the sort imagined by the Jews of the first century or the Muslims of the twenty-first, though its every bit as real. Paul says that we wrestle not “against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spirituals hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” And we need to understand what we’re doing here this morning against this backdrop. This morning we’re engaging in holy war against the spiritual armies of wickedness in the heavenly places. But we don’t fight with guns and bombs. Our weapons are much stronger that. As Paul says, “the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds.” Guns and bombs can’t defeat our enemies. The weapons we’ve been given, “weapons of righteousness for the right hand and the left,” are the Word of God and Prayer. Through the reading and preaching of the Word of God this day, Jesus will ride forth conquering and to conquer. Through the prayers of the people of God this day, both spoken and sung, Jesus will judge the earth. Don’t believe the hype that the real action is in Columbia and Washington. This is where the action is. The Kingdom doesn’t come through guns and bombs and neither does it come through bills and legislation. The real “Hope for America” and “Change we need” will be proclaimed and enacted here this morning in Word and Sacrament. But it’s not the hope or change that most are looking for and it puts us on a collision course with the powers of the present age. So as you stand there, poised to enter the conflict, remember the words of James, “Submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you…Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.”

The Family Table

2009-02-05T07:11:00.001-08:00

In this morning’s sermon we considered how the gospel of the Kingdom reorders our lives by placing us in a new family. When folks come to Jesus telling him that His mother and brothers were outside, He looks at His disciples and says, “Here are My mother and brothers! For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother.” And likewise He looks down upon you gathered for this feast and He says, “Here are My brothers and sisters and mothers.” Having responded to the gospel of the Kingdom with the obedience of faith, you have been constituted the house and family of God. And beloved there is nothing more important to life and health of family than the family meal. In recent years countless studies have shown the family that eats together is stronger, healthier, and happier than those who allow the family meal to fall out of the family routine. And this common sense observation regarding the earthly family holds true when we consider the family of God. The table that is spread before you is our family meal. And the family that shares this meal together will be stronger, healthier, and happier than those who allow this meal to fall out of the family routine (read liturgy). Sharing a meal together is one of the most potent rituals in human life. Nothing else that we do together conveys a sense of belonging the way that a meal does. Coincidently that is why it is so utterly important that our children come to the Table with us. That’s why Jesus was always sharing meals with people. And it’s no wonder that sociologists and cultural anthropologists are finally catching up with Him. Beloved, this is your family meal. In receiving you to this Table, God the Father is saying that He accepts you as His sons and daughters through your elder brother the Lord Jesus Christ. You are his brothers and sisters and mothers! Therefore come to the Table He has spread for you!

Called to Worship in His Presence

2009-02-05T07:08:00.000-08:00

Last week we saw that the summons to follow Jesus is first and foremost a summons to be with Him, to abide in His presence. We noted that to be with Jesus means to seek Him where He has promised to be found – in the Word, Sacraments, and Prayer. And you could think of the Call to Worship in much the same way. When the Lord calls you to worship Him in Spirit and Truth, He’s calling you to worship in His presence. Now, obviously you can worship Him privately, or as a family, but what we do here is different. Though God is generally present throughout His creation, He has also promised to be present in a special way when we gather around the Word, Sacraments, and Prayer. This is what the psalmist is getting at when he says, “The LORD loves the gates of Zion more than all dwellings of Jacob.” He’s saying your houses are great, but they’re not My church. In heeding the call to worship, “you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem.” And that means this is different than your prayer closet or your living room. Your feet are soon to be standing on holy ground because you will have come “to God the Judge of all” and “to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant.” This is where Jesus abides and where you must seek Him. What we do here this morning is at the very center of what it means to follow Him. This morning we follow Him through the parted heavens into the very throne room of heaven. Let us do so with heart’s full of faith, hope, and love.

Seeing Jesus

2009-01-22T06:40:00.000-08:00

In this morning’s sermon we saw how the invitation to “come and see” Jesus is connected to Jesus’ presence, where He abides. Like the summons to follow Jesus, the invitation to “come and see” Jesus is first and foremost a challenge to be with Jesus. And beloved if we would see and be with Jesus, then this Table should be the central event of our lives. For here with the eyes of faith we see Jesus, His body broken and His blood shed. And here He has promised to be with us. For as Paul says in 1 Cor. 10:16, in partaking of this bread we commune with body of Christ. And in partaking of this cup we commune with the blood of Christ. When you and I “come and see” Jesus at this Table, we come to the place where we are seen and transformed by Jesus. It’s pretty hard to commune with the body and blood of Christ and go away unchanged. Here at this Table we are, in the words of David, searched and known and tried by God. And if there is any wicked way in us, He will root that out and lead us in the way everlasting. But you see we need not fear the searching gaze of Jesus because He not only searches and knows us, but also loves us. And the Father accepts us on the basis of His body and blood. Therefore you should rejoice to “come and see” Jesus here in the bread and wine. For these are the signs of your acceptance – the memorials of Jesus’ death for you. You belong to Him and this is the way He has appointed for you unto everlasting life. So beloved, “Come and see.” Come and be seen and transformed by your Savior. He loves you and accepts you and delights to be with you.

Come and see

2009-01-22T06:37:00.000-08:00

In this morning’s Gospel lesson we will see how Philip, following the example of Jesus Himself, invites his friend Nathanael to “Come and see” Jesus. Philip’s hope is that in coming to see Jesus, Nathanael will be seen and transformed by Jesus. One question that this text poses for us after Jesus’ ascent into heaven is, where are people to go if they would see Jesus today? Where do you and I invite people to “Come and see” Jesus for themselves? Well, beloved, if men and women are to see Jesus today, they must seek Him where He has promised to be found. They must seek Him in His Word, Sacraments, and Prayer. And that means that this gathering on the first day of the week is the primary place where people can “come and see” Jesus because here, in the covenant renewal service, His Word, Sacraments, and prayer are central. Now this doesn’t mean that we should, like so many other churches in our day, turn the covenant renewal service into an evangelistic service. No, this is the gathering of the Triune God with His people for the purpose of renewing covenant with us. And yet in the way that God renews His covenant with us the gospel is both proclaimed and enacted. You could think of the liturgy as God evangelizing us; proclaiming and applying the gospel to us in Word and Sacrament. If, therefore, an unbeliever comes into our assembly, he has come to the place where he can both see and be seen and transformed by Jesus. This is the scenario that Paul sketches out in 1 Cor. 14 when he envisions what would happen if an unbeliever came into the worship service in Corinth. He envisions the unbeliever being seen and transformed by the Word of Christ such that “the secrets of his heart are revealed; as so falling down on his face, he will worship God and report that God is truly among you.” And if we’re worshipping God in Spirit and truth, that is what can happen when we invite folks to “come and see” Jesus among us. Beloved, this day you have come to the place where you can not only see, but also be seen and transformed by Jesus!

Heaven Reopened

2009-01-13T14:18:00.000-08:00

This morning we saw how one aspect of the work of Christ involved “the reopening of heaven.” We saw how Mark connected the tearing open of the heavens with the tearing of the firmament veil in the Temple. Through the person and work of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the people of God are given access to the Most Holy Place in the heavenly Temple. This is perhaps the central identity and vocation that you are given by baptism. In baptism God sanctifies you, makes you holy, in other words, He makes you a priest. And under the old covenant the priests were those who could pass through the firmament veil into the Holy Place. Everybody else had to wait outside. And even then only one the priests, the High Priest, could pass through the second veil into the Most Holy Place, and that only once a year. But by the sacrificial and atoning death of Jesus, the veil is torn and heaven is reopened. This old covenant form of graded holiness is done away with and we are all constituted priests of God. That is the truth portrayed at this Table. Here, we are all brought near by the blood of Jesus to share a heavenly meal. In the covenant renewal liturgy and most fully here at this Table, heaven is reopened. Together we pass through the heavens in union with the Lord Jesus Christ and come into the presence of God. This Table is the fulfillment of your baptism. So come and feed upon the body and blood of Christ by faith. Do so knowing that His body and His blood are the means by heaven has been opened for you. And rejoice because the same God who was well pleased with His Son, is pleased with you and accepts you because of His body and blood. You belong to Him by baptism and thus He is pleased to feed you at His Table. In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen!

Improving your baptism

2009-01-13T14:17:00.000-08:00

This morning the Church celebrates the Baptism of our Lord and we have celebrated the baptism of Trevor Christian. Now whenever we witness a baptism we should take the opportunity to remember our own. Our forefathers often spoke of the duty of improving upon our baptisms. You see for the Apostles, the Fathers, and the Reformers, baptism remained a focus throughout the Christian life. For them the Christian life is really nothing more than the process of being conformed to baptism. Just as someone has described the history of Western Philosophy as a series of footnotes to Plato, you could think of the Christian life as a series of footnotes to baptism. What does it mean to improve upon your baptism? In Romans 6 Paul says that it means learning to live as those who have died and risen with Jesus. He says that your baptism into the death of Christ means that you died to sin and therefore you should no longer be its slave. And likewise he says that just as Jesus rose to new life, even so you are to walk in newness of life. And beloved that is why you are gathered here this morning. Perhaps you continue to struggle with particular sins. Perhaps there are sinful patterns in your life to which you feel bound. Well, if you are in Christ Jesus, God says differently. You are gathered here as the baptized people of God, the household attendants of the King of kings and Lord of lords, to improve upon your baptism. You are gathered here to confess and repent of your sins and be raised up to walk in newness of life. Having heeded the call to worship, turn from your sins and fix your eyes upon Jesus. You are no longer under the dominion of sin and the curse of the law. Christ has borne that in your place. You are under grace, grace that abounds more than sin and empowers you to walk in newness of life. In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen!

Describing vs. Defining

2009-01-13T14:08:00.000-08:00

This morning as we baptize Trevor Christian we should be mindful of a helpful distinction; the distinction between the descriptive and the definitive. There will be any number of physical and personality traits that will describe him. If he’s anything like his parents, he’ll probably be tall and have dark hair. I’m sure you could easily envision him having a good sense of humor and being outgoing, perhaps even outspoken! But these traits – “tall,” “dark,” “good-humored,” “outgoing” – would only describe him. They would tell us what he is like, but not who he is. Our physical or personality traits describe us, but they don’t define us. Our identity is not to be found there. But beloved what takes place here this morning will define him. For in baptism an identity will be conferred upon him. Whereas his appearance and personality will tell us what he is like, his baptism will tell us who he is. This morning Trevor Christian will be marked out as a Christian belonging to Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And as a Christian he will have the calling to live and as one who has died and risen with Christ. It’s quite fitting, then, Trevor and Christina, that you will be calling him “Christian.” I exhort you to bring him up to find his identity and purpose in Christ. Bring him up to know that what describes him is to be put into the service of that which defines him. As parents it is easy to focus on our children’s gifts and abilities (what they will do) to the neglect of their character/identity (who they are). Bring him up such that every time he hears his name, he is reminded of the identity that God gives him this day. And brothers and sisters in Christ, I likewise exhort you to come alongside the Davis’ and encourage them in this calling. Never allow young Christian, or Trevor and Christina, to forget who he is in Christ. Always be reminding him that regardless of what he is like, what is most important is who he is: a Christian who belongs to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen!

Things are not always what they appear

2009-01-06T06:46:00.000-08:00

This morning’s Gospel lesson contains not only an epiphany, or revelation, of Jesus to the Gentiles, but also an epiphany of God’s way of working in the world. The one strand that ties the various nativity stories together is summed up by Mary in the Magnificat, “He has put down the mighty from their thrones and exalted the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He has sent away empty.” Jesus Himself summarizes this grand reversal of fortunes with His saying, “the first will be last, and the last will be first.” What we see in these reversals, and which was prominent in our Gospel lesson this morning, is the strong element of irony in the way that God advances His purposes in the earth. The epiphany of David’s Greater Son provokes fear and plotting in Jerusalem, but joy and worship from the land of the east. And beloved we see the ritual enactment of this irony in the Table spread before us this morning. The “glorious and triumphant feast of the Lord” to which you are summoned each week would appear to many a rather inglorious and unsuccessful feast. I mean this isn’t a Table of fine choice meats and aged cheeses that we would picture on the Table of a King. And the feast is a celebration of the death and seeming defeat of the King, rather than the triumphal conquest that many of the Jews expected of their promised King. But to view the Table in this way is to miss the epiphany of God’s way of working in the world through Jesus. The simple of elements of bread and wine signify the transcendent glory of the King of kings and Lord and lords. And the death that is proclaimed by these simple elements is the means by which Jesus, “disarmed principalities and powers, making a public spectacle of them, [and] triumphing over them in it.” And beloved, despite all appearances to the contrary, as you feed you upon this bread and wine Christ’s victorious kingdom is advanced in your lives and throughout the earth. Despite all appearances to the contrary, this is “the glorious and triumphant feast of the Lord.”

Come to the Light!

2009-01-06T06:41:00.000-08:00

We are gathered this day to celebrate the Epiphany of God’s grace to the Gentiles in the person of Jesus Christ. This Epiphany involved the manifestation, or revelation, of light in the darkness. When light comes into a dark place that which is hidden is exposed. And therefore the coming of light involves a judgment. You see this in the creation week as darkness is followed by light and thus each day is judged to be good. And you see it again as the firstborn of the new creation comes to bring the dawning of a new day following the nighttime of the old covenant. Now, the judgment that follows the dawning of this new day in Jesus Christ is determined by how mankind responds to the light. There are only two responses. You can accept the judgment of the light and be justified, or you can reject the judgment of the light and be condemned. The latter is the response of the wicked that hate the light and love the darkness because their deeds are evil. The former is the response of the righteous that come to the light and walk in the light and have their evil deeds cleansed by the blood of Jesus. Beloved, you have come to the light this morning that your deeds may be seen and judged. Beware how you respond to the light. Don’t allow your heart to be hardened so as to reject the light. Come to the light. Welcome God’s verdict upon you and forsake your unfruitful deeds of darkness. You are children of the light in Jesus Christ and thus God’s verdict upon you is always qualified by your death and resurrection with Jesus. And your death and resurrection with Jesus entails that you walk in the light, confessing your sins and endeavoring to manifest the fruit of the light in all goodness, righteousness, and truth. This is the way appointed for us to have fellowship with God and one another in name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen!

How Can This Be?

2008-12-24T03:53:00.000-08:00

This morning we considered the angel’s announcement to Mary that she would conceive and bear the Son of God, though she was a peasant virgin dwelling in the backwater town of Galilee. This announcement surprised her as it does us when we read of it. And beloved we need to recapture some of that same wonder and surprise about what takes place at this Table each and every Lord’s Day. I mean think of it. Each and every Lord’s Day the risen and exalted King of kings and Lord of lords comes to visit us in Greer, SC, tucked away in this old building in the middle of an old mill community. Each and every Lord’s Day the God of heaven and earth raises us Gentile peasants up from the ash heap of our sins and seats as princes at His Table. When I read the words of institution and call you to partake of this glorious and triumphant feast of the Lord, does this announcement ever catch you off guard? When I pray before the bread and again before the wine, thanking God that in these sacraments we receive Jesus Christ, do you ever wonder with Mary, “How can this be?” Beloved, this Table is the closest we come to experiencing what Mary experienced when she bore the Savior in her womb. For here we receive the flesh and blood of Jesus Christ into our inmost being by faith. At this Table the Holy Spirit comes upon us and the power of the Highest overshadows us enables us feed upon Christ though he remains seated at the right hand of God. Here at this Table we can rejoice with Mary for here God is with us and we are blessed among all the peoples of the earth. But you need not fear to come. For you like Noah and Mary before you, have found grace and favor in the eyes of God. He sent His Son on that first Christmas Day to save you, His people, from your sins. And He accomplished that salvation on Good Friday and Easter Sunday. So eat and drink with hearts full of joy at the wonder of your salvation. Receive here, in bread and wine, the grace that you have found in Jesus Christ.

Being Ready for the Unexpected

2008-12-24T03:51:00.000-08:00

With the fourth Sunday in Advent we draw near to Christmas day. I was reading someone recently who remarked that we never finish the fourth week of Advent. It is always “interrupted” by the arrival of Christmas Day. This, of course, fits the Advent pattern. Our Savior Himself said that His coming would be when none expected it. Whether we consider His coming in judgment in the time of Noah, at Sodom and Gomorrah, or at the Red Sea, His coming always takes people off guard. This morning we’ll consider how the announcement of His coming to Mary catches her off guard; it interrupts her week. But unlike the generation of Noah, the Sodomites, and the Egyptians, Mary has prepared herself for His coming. Though caught off guard, we’ll see that she nevertheless responds in faith, ready to receive the promises of God. But that type of response doesn’t just happen; it is the fruit of preparation. It tells us that Mary had been “repeating the signs” and rehearsing the story unlike the priests and Levites that we considered last week. This is clear from the song that she takes up after going to meet Elizabeth, which we call the Magnificat and which we’ll sing this morning. In the Magnificat, Mary weaves together texts from songs and psalms of old, showing us that for instance she had often sung Hannah’s Song. You see it was through cultivating regular habits of worship and prayer at the synagogue in Nazareth and in her home, that Mary made herself ready for the message of Christmas, for announcement that she would conceive and bring forth the Son of God. I call upon you now to join me in following Mary’s example of preparation for the message of Christmas. Confess your sins from heart, sing with hearts full of joy and gladness, and receive Christ in Word and Sacrament as Mary received Him in her womb!

Repeating the Signs

2008-12-24T03:49:00.000-08:00

This morning we saw how all of the questions of the priests and Levites led them on an “Adventure in Missing the Point.” In all of their questions and in all of their preconceived ideas of what they were looking for, they had missed the point, they had forgotten the signs. The One who was coming after John stood in their midst and they didn’t know Him. The light was shining in the darkness and the darkness didn’t comprehend it. Well, in God’s goodness and mercy He has given us these signs, bread and wine, to keep us from missing the point. Each and every week we receive these signs of the body and blood of Christ to keep our minds and hearts focused upon the person and work of Jesus Christ. Week after week the light and life of men and the world shines in our darkness and gives us His body broken and His blood shed so that our eyes will be opened to Him. This is of course the tragedy of the contemporary church, which has removed these signs from their place in the weekly liturgy to a once a month, or once a quarter observance. Is it any wonder that the Church has by and large lost her way? We need to have Jesus Christ front and center. This is again part of the beauty and utility of the Christian Year, rehearsing the story of Jesus Christ year after year, and it is surely the blessing of weekly communion, receiving the signs of Jesus Christ week after week. In eating this bread and drinking this wine by faith alone in Christ alone you will be kept from missing the point, from missing the presence of Christ in your life. So come eat and drink for you belong to Him and He delights in you! In His goodness and grace He has given you these signs that in receiving them, you might receive Him, in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen!

Don't Forget the Signs

2008-12-24T03:47:00.000-08:00

For the last two weeks we’ve been considering the message of Advent as the coming of Christ for the salvation, and at times, the judgment of His people. What determines whether or not His coming to us will be for our salvation, or our judgment? The way we receive the message of Advent, which is the message of the Gospel. This morning we’ll see how the Jewish leadership failed to heed this plain spoken message. They were all full of questions for John the Baptist, but already had their own answers. Somehow over the course of the 700 years since Isaiah uttered his prophecy, the people of God had forgotten what to look for, “the voice of one crying in the wilderness.” In this the first century Jews were very much like Jill in the Silver Chair when she stopped repeating the signs that Aslan had given her and thus she kept missing them. Remember how Aslan had instructed her to repeat the signs over and over till she knew them cold. Well, in a sense that’s why we celebrate Advent year after year, rehearsing the story, repeating the signs. We do this time and again so that we’ll be ready to meet the Lord when He comes for us and so that we’ll know that He is coming for our salvation. We rehearse the story time and again because we know that we’re much more like the Jews of old than we want to admit. For many of you the story has grown old. Your hearts are dulled, and you’ve forgotten the signs. So this morning let us repent of allowing the message of Advent to become old, stale, and lifeless. It is anything, but that! And let us again repeat the signs and rehearse the story because in this way, in the way of repentance and faith, you can know that His coming to you will be for your salvation. And behold He comes to you visit you this day, in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Better Than Money Can Buy

2008-12-07T12:44:00.000-08:00

This morning we’ve seen that Mark presents the First Advent of Christ as the inauguration of a New Exodus. This New Exodus is described throughout Isaiah 40-55. Interestingly, this section concludes with a call to come and eat. It is actually the call that we are currently using at the beginning of our service following the seasonal scripture sentence, “Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat. Yes, come buy wine and milk without money and without price…Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and let your soul delight itself in abundance.” Just as God brought Israel out of Egypt “to hold a feast” with Him at Sinai; even so the new exodus that He accomplishes by the cross is to culminate in a feast on the heavenly mountain. Ultimately, these verses are the call of the gospel. But, then again, what is the Table spread before, but the gospel in tangible form? You see eating and drinking are actions that depict so well what it means to receive the gospel. It is not enough to know what food and drink are, or even to agree that they are necessary for sustaining life. If you don’t actually eat and drink, you’ll starve, or die of thirst! Even so it’s not enough to know about Christ, or even to agree that He is the Lord and Savior of the world – the devil does all that. If you don’t feed upon Him by faith, if you’re not nourished and strengthened by His Body and Blood, you’ll perish in your sins, or your faith will be choked out by the cares of this world! Eating and drinking also depict so well the fruit of the gospel. Eating what is good brings delight. Later on in Isaiah, just before he describes the New Jerusalem, we read this, “Behold, My servants shall eat…drink…rejoice…[and] sing for joy of heart.” Beloved, the Table spread before you is nothing more or less than the gospel. As you eat and drink by faith in the death of Christ for you, rejoice and sing for joy of heart! This meal, this gospel, is more valuable than money can buy; it must be received as a gift of God’s grace. Taste and see that the Lord is good!

Preparing the Way

2008-12-07T12:42:00.000-08:00

With the Second Sunday in Advent our focus shifts from Christ’s Second Advent to His First Advent and the ministry of John the Baptist. We’ll see that all three of our Scripture Lessons today are tied together by the theme of preparation, getting ready for the coming of the Lord. Central to this preparation for the coming of Christ is repentance. Thus John the Baptist comes preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. Well, just as repentance and the confession of sins was to prepare Israel for the coming of Christ in His First Advent, even so repentance and the confession of sins prepares you for His coming in Word and Sacrament on this, the Day of the Lord. A lot had transpired in the history of Israel from the close of the OT to the ministry of John the Baptist. As we’ll see this morning the Land that was to be an Edenic Garden had become a wilderness and needed to be cleansed and renewed. Even so a lot has transpired in your lives from the time you left church last Sunday till the call to worship this morning. We don’t need 400 years to mess things up! Each Sunday you are sent out in the power of the Spirit to manifest the new creation in your lives, families, neighborhoods and work. And yet even with the best of intentions and the most diligent efforts, you and I fall woefully short of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Therefore as you contemplate the prospect of Christ coming to you in Word and Sacrament, “to walk among the lamp stands” as it were, His way must be prepared. In order for His Word to have free course in our midst so as to bring about a new creation in and through us, we are in need of cleansing and renewal. Let us then repent of the mess that we have made of our lives, families, neighborhoods, work and this world, and confess our sins unto Almighty God. In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen!

A Table of the Kingdom

2008-12-02T14:21:00.000-08:00

In this morning’s sermon we considered Jesus’ coming in judgment upon Jerusalem in AD 70 as well as His coming again on the Last Day. And both of these comings inform our celebration of this Table. For, of course, we gathered here on the Day of the Lord in the New Jerusalem to proclaim the death of our Lord until He comes again. You are seated here in the kingdom of God as a result of Christ’s shaking of the heavens and earth and sending of His messengers to call His chosen ones from the four corners of the earth. In Luke 13 we read of how Jesus was going through the cities and villages of Israel telling them to enter the kingdom through the narrow gate. Then he describes a scene of judgment where Israel sees, “Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God…They will come from the east and the west, from the north and the south, and sit down in the kingdom.” This is the kingdom that Luke later describes in this way, “And I bestow upon you a kingdom, just as My Father bestowed one upon Me, that you may eat and drink at My table in My kindgom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel” (22:29-30). You see your presence at this Table is an exercise of Christ’s kingly authority and indicates that you share in that authority. You are the kings and queens, the princes and princesses, of the new creation. In putting all things under the feet of Christ, beginning with Jerusalem and Rome, he is putting all things under your feet as well, as Paul said to the Romans, “And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly” (Rom. 16:20). Elsewhere Paul writes that God has made Christ “to be head over all things for the Church” (Eph. 1:22). “For all things are yours,” writes Paul, “whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas, or the world or life or death, or things present or things to come – all are yours” (1 Cor. 3:21-22). And each and every Lord’s Day this truth is enacted at this Table. Here, you eat and drink in the presence of, and the certain hope of victory over, your enemies. Here, you proclaim the victorious death of the King of heaven and earth until He comes again to deliver the kingdom to the Father. Rejoice, the Lord is King!

Beginning with End

2008-12-02T14:17:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned before the service, today in the first day of the Christian Year; our New Year’s Day. As Christians we begin our journey through the Year in much the same way that we begin our week. We begin each week with the Lord’s Day, or Day of the Lord, in recognition of the coming of Christ to visit us with His salvation in Word and Sacrament. Likewise we begin each year with Advent season in recognition of the coming of Christ to visit us with His salvation as the Word made flesh for the life of the world. And just as His visitation on the Lord’s Day meant judgment for some in the Corinthian church who failed receive Word and Sacrament rightly, even so His first Advent meant judgment for some among His people who failed to receive the Word made flesh rightly. We’ll consider that latter judgment this morning in our Gospel lesson. But why do we begin the year in this way? We begin the year in this way because for us time is eschatological; which is simply to say time and history are moving towards an appointed end with the coming of Christ to judge the quick and the dead and usher in the new heavens and the new earth. And this appointed end is to inform your celebration of the coming of Christ in the flesh. That is why we have the four weeks of Advent season leading up to the twelve days of Christmas. Our culture, of course, gets this all backwards and has Christmas at the front end for two months and then it’s all over in an hour or two on Christmas morning. But there is wisdom in the church’s ordering of time. We need time to reflect upon the significance of the coming of Christ in the flesh and this must always be viewed in the context of His coming again at the Last Day. The baby pictured in our Christmas cards is the same one who used the Roman armies to destroy Jerusalem in AD 70 and who will one day return to judge the world in righteousness. Advent season keeps us from domesticating Jesus, turning Him into a harmless baby, or a Jeanie in a bottle. The baby in the manger is the Lord of heaven and earth. And even this Day He summons you to worship Him in the beauty of holiness!

A Table of Unity

2008-12-02T14:13:00.000-08:00

In this morning’s sermon we caught a glimpse of the wonderful diversity that characterized the earliest church: Slave and free; Jew and Gentile; prominent and obscure. God integrated folks from such divergent backgrounds into one body, the Body of Christ. And He continues to work in this way today. As you look around this assembly you see a similar diversity, crossing the spectrum of class, gender, and geography. How is this possible? God weaves together this rich tapestry by the power of His Holy Spirit blessing the proclamation of the gospel of His Son. But how are men, women, boys, and girls from such divergent backgrounds formed truly to live as one body? You can perhaps see how He gets us in the door, calling us out of our divergent backgrounds to a common faith in Jesus Christ. But how is this common faith maintained? Well, for the early church the single most unifying practice that nurtured their common faith was their common worship. When folks from such divergent backgrounds gathered perhaps daily, but at least weekly to devote themselves to the means of grace: the apostle’s teaching and fellowship, the breaking of the bread and the prayers, God was at work by His Spirit forming them into one body. And the pinnacle, the climax, of these daily and later, weekly gatherings was the Eucharistic feast; the feast spread before you this morning. So sacred was this feast that in the early church they actually dismissed all visitors and catechumens from the service before the meal. They did this believing the words of Paul, “For we, though many, are one bread and one body; for we all partake of that one bread.” It is here at this Table that our unity in diversity is most clearly seen. Come then and join in the communion of the saints in eating this common meal. In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen!

Worshipping with Your Body

2008-12-02T14:10:00.000-08:00

In the last of the Songs of Ascents, Ps. 134, we find that Israel has made her ascent and her feet are now standing within the house of God. And here we see what she has come to Jerusalem to do: “Behold, bless the LORD, all you servants of the LORD, who stand by night in the house of the LORD! Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and bless the LORD. The LORD who made heaven and earth bless you from Zion!” The psalm begins with the call to worship: bless the LORD! And ends with the benediction: The LORD…bless you from Zion! Beloved, that is why you are assembled here today: to bless God and receive His blessing. I’m sure that the people of Israel encountered all sorts of obstacles in making their ascent, just as you do: fussy children, marital spats, and heavy eyes (remember they walked!). But when they reached their destination they were to put all of that behind them and bless the LORD. That is the value of posture in worship. God doesn’t say, “Sit or stand, whatever suits you.” No, when you come into God’s house you stand to bless the Lord no matter whether you feel like it or not! Likewise He doesn’t say, “If you feel sort of silly raising your hands, that’s ok so as you are worshipping Me in your heart.” No (!), He tells you lift up your hands when you have drawn near to bless Him. The idea is that perhaps your hearts will catch up to your feet and hands. You see God created whole people with souls and bodies and intends for us to worship Him with both! And though sometimes He works from the inside out, He often works from the outside in. The Spirit works when the Word is heard, touched, and tasted. And likewise God trains your heart through your feet, knees, and hands. It is as you worship God as whole people with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength, the strength even to stand, kneel, and lift your hands, that Lord will bless from Zion!

For the Life of the World

2008-11-18T08:26:00.000-08:00

In this morning’s sermon I argued that we begin to correct our posture towards the world by participating in the service of covenant renewal. This is preeminently true as we come to the Table each week. For in offering the ‘creatures’ of bread and wine to God, we are symbolically offering the world to God. Just as Israel was God’s priestly nation and thus worshipped on behalf of the world, even so do we. Under the OC this was given clearest expression in the Feast of Booths wherein 70 bulls were offered, one for each of the nations listed in Gen. 10. For us this priestly calling is fulfilled most clearly in the offertory and prayers of intercession. In this movement of the service we are bringing the world to God and wrestling with God in prayer for her life and redemption. Which brings us to this moment, when we are seated to keep the feast. Yet, even in feasting the life of the world is in view. For in a moment I will break the bread that Jesus described as, “My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.” And in feeding upon the bread of life you are being transformed so to live for the life of world; to give your own bodies as broken bread in service for the life of the world. In this light I encourage you to allow this Table to transform the tables in your homes. One of the central occasions that Christ redeemed during his earthly ministry was mealtime. It seems that Christ never passed up an opportunity to eat with “outsiders.” Thus it was around the table, as well as in the streets, that gracious words fell from lips of our Savior. These no doubt proved to be opportune times for Christ to demonstrate wisdom, grace, and wit in answering the questions of tax collectors and sinners. Consider how you might open your lives/homes, to those around you and receive them to your table with the same grace that God receives you to His. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit!

The Blessedness of Christian Unity

2008-11-18T08:24:00.000-08:00

The second to last of the Songs of Ascents, Ps. 133, begins with the call to behold something, something not often beheld in our day. David writes, “Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!” David likens the blessedness of Christian unity to the oil of priestly ordination that flowed down from Aaron’s head and to the dew of God’s glory cloud descending upon the mountains of Zion. What unites these two similes for the blessedness of Christian unity is that they are both symbols of Holy Spirit. The oil of priestly ordination and the dew of God’s glory cloud are both fulfilled in Christian baptism as the Holy Spirit inducts us into his royal priesthood and claims us as His dwelling place forevermore. And Christian baptism is also the starting point for Christian unity, “the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” Just like your earthly family is given to you by birth, you don’t choose them; even so your Christian family is given to you by baptism, you don’t choose them. If you were baptized as an adult perhaps you selected a particular branch of the Church to identify yourself with, but that’s the funny thing about baptism: you’re not baptized into the PCA, or the SBC, or the AG, or whatever; you’re baptized into the Triune name and thus into the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church that He has established. And Jesus prayed for you, for us, in John 17 that we who would believe in him through the Apostolic Word, “that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that world may believe that You sent Me.” How has our witness to the world been hindered by the fact that Sunday morning at 11:00 am is the most divided hour in America? Even more troubling, given the imagery of Ps. 133, how have we grieved the Spirit of God by our divisiveness and disunity? Join me now in confessing these our sins and seeking to amend our lives to better manifest the goodness and pleasantness of dwelling together in unity. In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Eat and Drink for God Accepts You!

2008-11-18T08:22:00.000-08:00

In this morning’s sermon we saw how the future judgment according to works serves as reason for us conduct our lives in the fear of the LORD. This judgment of the Last Day is of course anticipated on the cross, but also each and every Lord’s Day as we are summoned to appear before God for evaluation. In this sense every Lord’s Day is an arrival of the Day of the Lord and prepares us for that great day. We recognize this at the beginning of the service when we confess our sins and receive God’s cleansing grace. Thus we confess that we begin in grace being justified apart from works. Yet the Christian life and CRW doesn’t end there. For having been consecrated by the Word of God, read, sung, and preached, we then respond by offering the fruit of hands, our works, ourselves, to God in the tithes and offerings. And the Lord graciously receives our faithful work in union with the perfect sacrifice of His Son. These are the sacrifices that Paul describes as “a sweet-smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God.” In this we confess our faith in a future aspect of our justification that includes our works as the demonstration of the faith with which we began. Now what does all this have to do with the Table? Well, Solomon has told us that this matter of God accepting our works affects our eating and drinking. In Eccl. 9:7 he writes, “Go, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart; for God has already accepted your works.” We come to this Table with joy and merriment of heart celebrating God’s acceptance of us in Jesus Christ. And Solomon continues, “Let your clothing always be white, and let your head lack no oil.” It is in this way that you come to the Table: clothed in the righteousness of Christ, anointed by the Spirit, with joy and merriment, for God has accepted your works!

Corresponding Blessing

2008-11-18T08:19:00.000-08:00

Psalm 132, the 3rd last of the Songs of Ascents, celebrates the establishment of God’s dwelling place among His people in fulfillment of His covenant with David. The psalm reveals a wonderful correspondence between the people’s desire for God’s blessings and His intention so to bless them. The people are resolved to worship God at His dwelling place and plead, “Let your priests be clothed with righteousness, and let your saints shout for joy.” Following a rehearsal of God’s promises to David we hear God’s intention to bless His people, “This is My resting place forever; Here I will dwell, for I have desired it. I will abundantly bless her provision; I will satisfy her poor with bread. I will also clothe her priests with salvation, and her saints shall shout aloud for joy.” Is that not why we too make our ascent to the heavenly Zion. Beloved, you are the resting place that God has chosen, the “dwelling place of God in the Spirit.” And He desires you; He takes delight in you. Do you doubt that? He sent His only begotten Son to make a way for you to be incorporated into this dwelling place by bearing your sins in His body on the cross. How then “shall He not with Him freely give [you] all things?” He will most assuredly abundantly bless your provision, “with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.” And this day as you have been called to gather as His royal priesthood, to perform “your reasonable service,” He will yet again clothe you, His priests, with righteousness and salvation. And thus clothed in the very righteousness of Jesus Christ He has determined to satisfy you, His poor, with bread at His Table. And what will be your response to these abundant provisions? You, His saints, will shout aloud for joy! That is where you are headed. But to get there you must humbly seek these blessings by the confession of your sins. For in this way we make our ascent to Zion.

The Culture and Discipline of the Table

2008-11-06T13:46:00.000-08:00

This morning we considered the calling of fathers to nurture their children in the training and discipline of the Lord. We saw that this training and discipline requires the enculturation of our children into the truth, goodness, and beauty of Christ as well as administering the discipline of Christ. This is primarily the task of fathers, but it is also the calling of the Church. The Church has been given the commission to disciple the nations and this discipleship begins with baptism. Thus at baptism our children join us in the discipleship program of the Christian church. This program, administered through the officers of the church, likewise aims to establish a Christian culture and discipline. And this Table stands at the center of this culture and discipline. Here, at this Table, Christ trains us in truth, goodness, and beauty. Here we feast together in the beauty of holiness with the songs of Zion upon our lips. Here, the goodness of God is lavished upon us in the rich provision of the body and blood of Christ for our salvation. Here, by faith, we feed upon Christ who is the Truth. And so feeding upon Christ we are transformed to be a true, good, and beautiful people. Our senses are attuned to perceive that which is truly good and beautiful in everyday life: self-giving service, peace and unity among the Body of Christ, the simple joys of feasting together. This Table also administers the discipline of Christ for it is to the Church, not fathers, that Christ committed the keys of the kingdom. To be cut off from this Table is to be subjected to the discipline of Christ so as to be taught not to blaspheme. And in coming to the Table Christ deals with us, training us to more truly reflect His likeness in our relationships with one another. Here then, at this Table, we are gathered as the children of God to receive His fatherly care. Let us embrace this culture and discipline with joy and gladness.

Put No Hope in Presidents

2008-11-06T13:44:00.000-08:00

Psalms 130 and 131 are psalms that express trust in the LORD that evidenced by waiting upon Him. The first, Psalm 130, depicts this waiting upon the LORD by employing the image of the watchman waiting for the morning. This image evokes a sense of expectation for morning shall surely come. The second, Psalm 131, depicts waiting upon the LORD by employing the image of a weaned child with his mother. This image evokes a sense of trust and safety in mother’s arms. In light of the events of this Tuesday, I exhort you to heed the words of the psalmist and put your trust in the LORD. As the people of God you “do not put your hope in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help.” Instead, put your trust in the LORD the maker of heaven and earth, and in His Son who has been given all authority therein. Christ is even now sitting at the right of the Father directing all things after the counsel of His will for the good of the Church and for the advancement of His kingdom in the earth. Whatever the outcome of Super Tuesday, you can know that God’s kingdom is advancing in the earth and the gates of hell shall not withstand our march to the ends of the earth. Yes, you should vote. Yes, the issues before our nation are important. But the kingdom doesn’t advance by the power of the sword. The kingdom advances by the power of the Spirit working by Word and Sacrament in and through the worshipping community that is the Church. The kingdom advances as we do what we’re doing right here this morning. Whether our next president is Obama, or McCain, his heart will be in the hand of our LORD and He will turn it like a channel of water to do whatsoever He pleases (Pr. 21:1). And one day all the kings of the earth will join us in worshipping our Triune God. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

A Table for Children

2008-10-29T07:22:00.001-07:00

In this morning’s sermon we saw that the obedience of children to their parents is founded upon God’s covenant with us. And this covenant likewise provides the ground for the presence of our children at the Table. God has told us that His kingdom belongs to such as these. He makes nursing babes and squirmy toddlers examples of the faith with which all of His people are to approach Him. And it is that same childlike faith that we express at this Table. God claims us as His children by baptism and grants us access to this Table where He nurses us unto everlasting life. It is here in the assembly of God’s people for the ministry of Word and Sacrament that you express your longing for the pure milk of the Word and taste and see that the Lord is good. This Table reminds us that we are all children of God, utterly dependent upon our Father to feed us, nourish and strengthen us. Here all of our eyes wait upon God to give us heavenly food, to open His hand and fill us with good things, to send forth His Spirit and renew us. And though He intends for all of us to mature in our faith, for our faith to deepen and strengthen, yet we never get beyond this Table. Indeed, the maintenance of this childlike, receptive, trusting faith is critical for our growth in grace. It is when we think we’re beyond a childlike trust in the gospel that we get off track in the Christian life. You never get beyond the need to be fed by God at His Table. In His grace, God has provided this weekly reminder that we are all children of God and all alike stand in need of His grace. Come, then, as babes longing for the pure milk of God’s grace and taste and see that He is good!

He Cuts Their Cords!

2008-10-29T07:20:00.000-07:00

Psalm 129 celebrates the righteousness of God as seen in the way that he enables his people to persevere in the faith by subduing our enemies. The psalm begins with the refrain, “Many a time they have afflicted me from my youth. – Let Israel now say – “Many times have they afflicted me from my youth. Yet they have not prevailed against me.” Consider the efforts of the seed of the serpent to stamp out the seed of the woman. From the dawn of creation to the present day the serpent and his cohorts have attempted to prevent what we are gathered here to do this day. They have persecuted and afflicted the church in countless ways and yet year after year Israel made her ascent to Jerusalem and Lord’s Day after Lord’s Day we make ours. The psalmist likens their efforts to driving a plow over the backs of God’s people only to find that God has cut their cords and freed his people from their tyranny. No doubt there are many weeks that you gather here feeling the assaults of the world upon your backs. You have firsthand knowledge of how the world, flesh, and devil attempt to stamp out the work of the Spirit in your lives and your families. Whether by overt attacks upon your character, or by more subtle temptations to make peace with the world, you have endured the plow of the wicked upon your backs. And yet week after week the Lord cuts their cords and frees you to gather in His presence with psalms like these upon your lips. We join Israel in singing, “Let all those who hate Zion be put to shame and turned back.” And week after week God hears these cries and drives back the forces of darkness. Indeed week after week as we make our ascent to the throne of God with the psalms upon our lips, God sends another blow of the battering ram against the gates of hell. Week after week Christ is building His Church by Word and Sacrament and the gates of hell shall not prevail against us!

The Bridegroom's Table

2008-10-29T07:18:00.000-07:00

This morning we considered how the sacrificial love of Christ establishes the pattern for the husband’s love for his wife. And the meal spread before you this morning is the proclamation of this pattern. For here, under the forms of bread and wine we are confronted with the supreme demonstration of a husband’s love for his bride. The bride, of course, had been specially selected by the Father of the groom; created to be the glory of her husband. Yet, the Bride spurned His love, choosing instead to prostitute herself with other men. And though she warred against Him in the company of His enemies, the Bridegroom’s love for His Bride never wavered. Rather, He laid His life down for her that He might win her, making her His pure, spotless Bride. Beloved, such is Christ’s love for you, His Bride. He was not a husband who insisted upon His rights to your respect and affection. No, he emptied Himself by humbling coming to win you to Himself by His death on the cross for your sins. In time he called you to Himself and washed you by baptism in His name. And now He spreads this Table before that He might continue to transform you into His pure, spotless bride. I often mention the fact this Table is a foretaste of the great marriage feast that we will enjoy in the presence of God at the Last Day. Yet, this Table is more than that. It is also a means of preparation for that feast. For by eating and drinking at this Table we are making ourselves ready for the big day. It is as we come to this Table week after week, being washed/consecrated by the Word, that we come more fully to reflect the image and likeness of the Bridegroom and thus made ready to meet Him in the air. You are the Bride of Christ and this Table is spread for you. As you eat and drink you proclaim the sacrificial love of your Bridegroom until He comes for you.

The Lord Builds the House

2008-10-29T07:17:00.000-07:00

The next two Songs of Ascents speaks quite clearly to the material we’ve been considering in Colossians 3. Psalms 127 and 128 remind us that unless the LORD builds the house, all of our labors are in vain. What does that look like? How does God build the house and guard the city? First, He fills your wombs and homes with children like arrows in the hands of a warrior and like olive plants all around your table. Second, He blesses your homes husbands and fathers who fear the Lord and live fruitful and productive lives in the world. Third, He glorifies your homes with fruitful and productive wives who are the very heart of your homes. What is your response to these blessings? Worship. You bring your household to worship asking him to cleanse and forgive you of your sins so as to restore and renovate your homes. Each Lord’s Day your family is in need of an Extreme Makeover and God is the Master-Builder. Employing the tools of Word, Sacraments, and Prayer, He sets to work each week renovating your household. Even this morning, He intends to fashion each of you men to fear Him and walk in His paths in the callings He has given you. He intends to form you wives and mothers to rejoice in childbearing and view your children as a blessing and reward. He intends to form you children into arrows to go forth from here to occupy positions of influence in the world. And the result of all this is God’s blessing resting upon the New Jerusalem. In blessing and building your households, He intends to bless and build His Household, the Church. So having heeded the call to worship this morning, set your hearts and minds upon the Master Builder who alone is able to build your house for He is the Lord, maker of heaven and earth.

Gender and Table

2008-10-29T07:16:00.000-07:00

In this morning’s sermon we considered the distinction between man and woman and noted a certain order of the home that is rooted in the Trinity and the order of creation. In considering the distinction between man and woman, I was primarily making application to the sphere of the family. Yet, in its original setting the distinction between man and woman is situated in the Garden, or the sanctuary of God’s presence. This means mankind’s fundamental nature and the fundamental distinction within mankind between man and woman must be understood in terms of worship. Man is not fundamentally homo sapiens, man the knower, but rather homo adorans, man the worshipper. And thus there is a sense in which the distinction between man and woman concerns worship, Adam’s priestly duty to serve (till) and guard (keep) the Garden sanctuary. And Adam’s first duty, and failure, with regard to his wife concerns sacramental food (the tree). It seems that sacramental worship in Garden required the presence of both man and woman. That just as the covenantal presence and blessing of God under the NC is connected to two or three being gathered in the name of Christ, even so in the Garden there were two not one, man and woman. Perhaps it’s the case that man and woman reflect the second and third persons of the Trinity with man serving as covenant Head after the pattern of Christ and woman serving as the covenantal bond of love, knitting the two together. Thus God is worshipped in Spirit and Truth by man and woman together. What we can know for sure is that you all are fulfilling your most basic functions here this morning. You have been made to worship the Triune God as man and woman, as husbands and wives, as sons and daughters. Furthermore, God made you for sacramental worship. And this morning he bids you to come and eat from the tree life that you might live!

The Weightier Matters of the Gospel

2008-10-29T07:13:00.000-07:00

Psalm 126 describes, in striking terms, the type of people we become in response to our redemption. The psalmist describes the experience of the Israelites returning from exile. The Israelites “were like those who dream. Then our mouth was filled with laughter. And our tongue with singing.” Their confession was simple: “The Lord has done great things for us, and we are glad.” And beloved, the Lord has likewise done great things for you. He has brought you into the true Israel of God from a bondage far worse than that of Egypt or Babylon. He has brought you out of the kingdom of Satan and into the kingdom of His Beloved Son. In doing so he has forgiven the guilt of your sins and adopted you as his children. And the proper response to this bounteous grace is joy and gladness, laughter and singing. Don’t get so bogged down in the details and duties of the Christian life that you neglect these weightier matters of the gospel. Yes, you have many duties and the responsibilities of rearing children, providing for your families, and serving those in need are great, but don’t neglect laughter and singing. Luther once quipped at his monkish assistant Melanchthon, “For heaven’s sake, why don’t you go out and sin a little? God deserves to have something to forgive you for!” Luther was saying, “Where is your joy? Loosen up a little and live!” Now of course to some extent joy, gladness, laughter, and singing can’t be, nor should they be conjured up. That’s the hollow way of our entertainment culture, which attempts to package and sell laughter and happiness. No, these weightier matters of the gospel come from sustained reflection upon and experience of God’s grace. And that is why we’re gathered here today. We come as poor and needy pilgrims, sowing in tears and heavy hearts that we might reap in joy. We come confessing that the joy of the Lord is our strength and our song!

The Bible and Alcohol

2008-10-08T02:57:00.000-07:00

What follows is a brief statement of the Bible's positive teachings regarding alcohol and its uses. Wine as a fruit of creation is regarded by God as good and as such should not be rejected. 1 Timothy 4:1-5 speaks of wicked men who forbid marriage and abstain from foods which God has created to be gratefully shared in by those who believe and know the truth. The section concludes by stating, "For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude; for it is sanctified by means of the word of God and prayer." The word of God has sanctified wine by its teaching concerning the purpose and proper use of it. Psalm 104:14-15 says that God waters the earth so that man can produce food and "wine which makes man's heart glad, so that he may make his face glisten with oil, and food which sustains man's heart." Since wine has been created to make man's heart glad it is particularly suited for use in celebration. Thus in Deut. 14:26 God tells His people that when He blesses them they are to go to the place of His choosing and there, "You can spend your money on whatever your heart desires: for oxen, or sheep, or wine, or strong drink, or whatever your heart desires; and there you shall eat [and I assume drink] in the presence of the Lord your God and rejoice, you and your household." But wine is also useful for more ordinary occasions such as those described by Solomon in Ecclesiastes 9:7. There we are commanded to "Go, eat your bread in happiness and drink your wine with a cheerful heart; for God has already approved your works." You see, God approves our works and we have been accepted by him on the basis of the finished work of Christ; a work intended to bring about a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17). And wine is one of the preeminent signs of this new creation. Thus the prophets looked for the day when Messiah would bring about a new heavens and a new earth in which he would "prepare a lavish banquet for all peoples on this mountain, a banquet of aged wine, choice pieces with marrow, and refined, aged wine." (Is. 25:6) This is the imagery that lies behind Jesus sign of turning the water into wine at the wedding in Cana in John 2. He is the one who came to bring about this new creation one aspect of which is new wine, a sign of God's blessing and favor. This is also the reason why I don't believe that wine is simply something neutral. It is not immoral, or amoral, but rather I believe it is positively something good. Now the Bible explicitly regulates its use, that it is never to be used in excess so as to lead to drunkeness and dissipation (Eph. 5:18). But food can likewise be used for wicked purposes: for gluttony, or as part of pagan feasts. But we don't conclude from these abuses that food is evil and to be abstained from. Instead we seek to use it in a proper manner, for "Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." (1 Cor. 10:31)

Let the Word Dwell in You Richly

2008-10-05T18:19:00.001-07:00

The command to let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly is, as we have seen, a reference to the Word of God, the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments. Yet the command also instructs us concerning the proper reception of the bread and the wine spread before us. The Reformers, particularly Calvin, were found of describing the sacraments as God’s “visible words.” For, whether in the waters of Baptism, or the bread and wine of the Lord’s Table, God’s saving promises are central to the actions performed. In eating the bread and drinking the cup you are receiving God’s promise of covenantal union and communion with Him. Let this promissory Word dwell, or take up residence in you! Conduct your life and maintain your heart in such a way that Christ will be at home in the tent of your body. And let His dwelling in and among you by Word and Sacrament be rich and full, abounding in joy! How will you know if Christ’s sacramental dwelling within and among you is full and rich? Just like we saw in verse 16, you will sing with grace in your hearts to God. A people of whose sacramental reception of Christ is rich will be a joyful people, and joyful people sing! This is not a funeral service. Though the bread and the wine are emblems of death, his body broken and blood shed; they are for us who believe in Jesus Christ, emblems of life and blessing. So as you feed upon the body and blood of Christ by faith, sing out with all your heart. You are feeding upon the means of your salvation. Death has been defeated and this Table is but the foretaste of great feast we will enjoy beyond the grave. And as you sing out you instruct and admonish one another with these truths. That reminds us that this is a corporate event. We are gathered here as God’s chosen people, holy and beloved. Come then, this Table is spread for you!

The Lord Surrounds His People

2008-10-05T18:18:00.000-07:00

In Psalm 125 the psalmist sets out the fundamental attitude of the one who has put their trust in the LORD and makes their ascent to God’s dwelling place: confidence! The psalmist likens the one who trusts in God to “Mt. Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever.” He writes, “As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds His people from this time forth and forever.” In the Scriptures mountains are a symbol of immovable strength. And that immovable, unshakeable, confidence in God and His purposes for you is to be a defining characteristic of your life. Life in the ancient near east could be quite chaotic with threats of invasion from every side. Yet, Yahweh wanted His people to know that their lives were in His hands and that His presence surrounded them. Just as the pillars of cloud and fire surrounded Israel in the Exodus, even so the LORD continues to surround and protect His people. And in light of God’s presence with you, you are to be unshakeable. We live in the midst of a fragile culture. To a people whose trust is in their riches, the recent upheaval of the stock and real estate markets has shaken our nation. But beloved, you are not such a people. You are the people of God and as those who have put your trust in Him you are like Mt. Zion in its strength. And like Mt. Zion your place in God’s purposes is fixed and unchanging; He will never leave you nor forsake you. In the midst of the myriad uncertainties of this life, be reminded of the place in which you are now standing. Every week as you make your ascent to Mt. Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, be reminded that your life is hid with Christ in God. The kingdom that you have received from Him and which you have entered by baptism and the working of God’s Spirit cannot be shaken but will endure world without end. Be, therefore, steadfast and immovable always abounding in the work of the Lord!

Proper Attire Required

2008-09-29T07:25:00.000-07:00

In this morning’s sermon we considered the calling to be clothed with Christ and His graces in our relationships to one another within the Church. I noted that this calling to be clothed with Christ is rooted in the fact that we have been clothed with Christ by faith, which is symbolically depicted in baptism. I asked you to think about mercy, kindness, meekness, humility, longsuffering, and love as the garments with which God adorns the bride of His Son. The Bible speaks of wedding garments in a number of places, often in connection to a feast like the one spread before us now. In Matt. 22 Jesus tells a parable of a king who plans a wedding feast for his son. When the king enters the feast he sees a man who is not wearing a wedding garment and he commands the man to be thrown out of the feast into outer darkness. It’s like the signs you see sometimes at upscale restaurants: Coat and tie required. You can’t come to the feast without your wedding garment. It is almost certain that Jesus is referring to the Marriage Supper of Lamb described in Rev. 19:1-10. And once again those present at this feast are said to be “arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright.” These are the white robes described in Rev. 3, which are awarded to those who overcome the world by faith, keeping their garments undefiled by idolatry. Beloved, the Table spread before you is the foretaste of that great marriage supper of the Lamb to be celebrated at the end of history. And just as entrance to that feast requires a wedding garment, new clothing, even so you must come to this feast clothed with righteousness of Christ. This wedding garment comes as a gift of God’s free grace to all who believe and are baptized into Christ. Beloved, I summon you, as those so baptized into Christ and thus clothed with Him, come to the feast! The Table is spread for you!

God, Our Help

2008-09-29T07:23:00.000-07:00

The fifth of the Songs of Ascents, Psalm 124, contains a striking meditation on what it means to confess, “our help is in name of the LORD, Who made heaven and earth” (v.8). This confession rightly has formed the basis for calls to worship from Old Testament times until the present. But what are you confessing about God when you call Him your “help”? Is it the expression of some naïve, “pie in the sky” view of the Christian life? “God is our help and therefore our lives are free from the cares and obstacles that others face.” Absolutely not! The psalm rehearses Israel’s deliverance from the mouth of the dragon, the waters of the flood, and the snare of the fowler. Just like Job, the fact that Israel was God’s chosen people and had God as their help, didn’t mean that difficulty and distress would never come their way. In fact it was their experience of difficulty and distress that gave meaning to their confession of God’s help. God’s help comes in the midst of difficulty and distress and can only be understood and confessed against that background. But God’s help, His promised way of escape, is a way through the difficulties and distress that you experience. Beloved it is your experience of the dragons of cancer and job loss, the floodwaters of financial pressure and marital stress, and the snare of anxiety, that fills out your confession of God’s help. And just like the Israelites we shouldn’t pretend that these difficulties don’t exist. Rather, we bring our dragons, floods, and snares to God in prayer and song in the confidence that the maker of heaven and earth, and our redeemer in Jesus Christ, will deliver us from all our fears. David actually pauses after the first line to call Israel to join him in rehearsing God’s deliverances. Even so I call upon you now to join me in the confession of our sins that we too might know his deliverance.

The Table of the New Humanity

2008-09-23T13:25:00.000-07:00

This morning we learned of the renewal that is taking place within and among as God’s new humanity. This ongoing process of renewal is rooted in our baptism wherein we were clothed with Christ. Having “put on,” or been incorporated into, the new humanity, Paul writes that we are now being “renewed in knowledge” according to the image of God. That which is new must be renewed in us. Furthermore, this ongoing process of renewal into God’s image nurtured at this Table. The central act of the renewal of God’s new humanity is His renewal of the covenant with us, which is culminates in this meal. Here we come to see Christ who is all and who comes to dwell in us all. This meal puts Christ at the center of His people. Here as we take up and feed upon the emblems of His death we are reminded that His cross divides humanity. In Galatians 6:14 Paul wrote that in the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ, “the world has been crucified to me and I to the world.” This Table, therefore, marks a line in the sand for the Christian. This Table puts a visible distinction between the new humanity and the old humanity and obligates you to take up the calling to die to sin. For Paul wrote, “You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the Lord’s Table and of the table of demons” (1 Cor. 10:21). God’s new humanity is not to be marked by the idolatry of the old. So find here the grace and strength to live as God’s new humanity. Put your faith in Christ alone and know that in him you have an abundant redemption. He is the captain of your salvation and died to free you from your sins. You belong to him. Feed upon him and be renewed to reflect the image and likeness of God in your life, your family, your work, and this world.

Lord Have Mercy

2008-09-23T13:22:00.000-07:00

Psalm 123, the forth of the Songs of Ascents, defines our position in relation to the God who calls us to worship: we are his servants. In heeding the call to worship we lift our eyes to God who dwells in the heavens as “the eyes of servants look to the hand of their masters” and “as the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress.” The call to worship puts us in a position of dependence upon God. We are those who “wait upon,” or “attend to,” God and His Word. And the psalmist states three times what wait for: mercy. The psalmist says they look to God “until He has mercy us,” and then cries, “Have mercy on us, O LORD, have mercy on us!” The church calls this the Kyrie eleison, which is the Latin form of the petition, “Lord have mercy.” And it has been a fixed part of the Church’s liturgy since the beginning. The Kyrie expresses the basis of our relationship to God: His mercy. When we come before God’s throne of grace, our greatest need is to obtain mercy. But isn’t it so often the case that we don’t want to acknowledge our need. We don’t come before God with the expectancy of the psalmist because we don’t share the psalmist’s assessment of our need. We try to patch our lives together, shake the dust of our Bibles, and make our ascent to God’s house. Well, that’s not going to cut it! In heeding the call to worship, you must confess your utter dependence upon God’s mercy. He doesn’t want to patch you up. He wants to cut you up by the sharp two-edged sword of his Word to remake you into a holy priesthood. So as his servants let us now acknowledge our dependence upon him in the confession of our sins. And let your confession be marked by that same air of expectation seen in the psalm, “Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us!”

Lift up your hearts!

2008-09-17T05:50:00.000-07:00

This morning we have considered how the life that is ours in Christ is presently hidden with Christ in God; our life, which is Christ Himself, is above. This teaching supplies the reason why we use the Sursum Corda and why it has traditionally been related to this Table that is spread before. The Sursum Corda, “Lift up your hearts,” and the response, “We lift them up to the Lord,” is intended to direct our minds and wills to the source of our life in heaven, namely, Jesus Christ. The Lord’s Supper, you see, is a heavenly feast. It’s not so much a feast wherein Christ comes down, as it is a feast wherein we go up. Since Christ, as we read this morning and as we confess in the Creed, is now sitting at the right hand of the Father, there is no sense in which he can come down to be present in the bread and wine. Christ, who is our life, is in heaven. And if you would commune with him, truly feeding upon his body and blood, then you must go to him. That is why the church has always used the Sursum Corda in relationship to the Lord’s Table; we must go to him. And we go to him by faith, confessing our sins and receiving his pardoning grace, which is we why we recite the Sursum following our confession and absolution. And we go to him being consecrated by the Spirit working through the Word to make us holy priests. Thus faith in Christ and the operation of the Spirit are the ways that we lift up our hearts to the Lord and go to him. It is by faith and the working of God’s Spirit that you are to feed upon Christ, who is your life. So put your faith in Him now and feed upon Him. And in feeding upon Him by faith know that His life is really and truly being communicated to you and will be made manifest in your life. Thus you see that this Table is the primary means by which you direct your mind and will to things above so as to manifest the life of the world to come.

Are you glad to go to God's house?

2008-09-17T05:45:00.000-07:00

The third of the Songs of Ascents (Ps. 122) provides us with the words that we recite as we begin our service each week. The psalm begins with David saying, “I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go into the house of the LORD.” And follows with Israel’s confession, “Our feet our standing within your gates, O Jerusalem!” This psalm teaches us that the call to worship is to make us glad. Is that how you would describe the state of your heart right now? Are glad to go to the house of the Lord on Sunday? Or do you make your ascent to God’s house out of compulsion? Because it is what Christians are supposed to do? You children and young folks, do your parents have to drag you out bed and force you to come here? Beloved you all ought to be glad to go to God’s house! You ought to be able to say with the psalmist that a day in God’s courts is better than a thousand outside (Ps. 84:10). What would you prefer to being in God’s house? Would you rather be in bed? Would you rather be in the park, or spending time with friends or family? You must train yourself to prefer the presence of God to everything else in life. You do that by spending time with him throughout the week in morning and evening prayer, in times of song around the table, in reading his Word. You do it by confessing your sins to God and one another, endeavoring by the power of God’s Spirit to walk in new obedience. Nobody who is clinging to his sins is going to be glad to go to God’s house. For our God is a consuming fire. When we join the Israelites in confessing that “our feet are standing within your gates, O Jerusalem,” we are confessing that our feet are standing on holy ground. Therefore let us confess our sins to God and make our ascent with joy and gladness, knowing that He will show us the path of life and in His presence is fullness of joy and at his right hand are pleasures forevermore (Ps. 16:11).

My Life for Yours

2008-09-08T08:12:00.001-07:00

Following this morning’s service we will be enjoying monthly church feast. In the early church this Table was actually celebrated in the context of feast like that, called the Love Feast. In 1 Corinthians 11 we read of one of these feasts and how the Corinthians conduct in that feast called into question whether or not they had properly discerned the unity of the Body of Christ. It seems that some, likely the rich, were hording the food and the wine leaving the poor to go hungry. Paul’s point in bringing this up was to point out that the factions that existed among them rendered their observance of the Lord’s Supper a detriment to their Body, rather than a benefit. Eventually the early church actually had to suspend the practice of serving communion in the context of the Love Feast. But just because we no longer celebrate the Eucharist in the context of the feast doesn’t mean that we are free from the danger that Paul notes. It just means that our discernment of the unity of Christ’s Body is a few steps removed from the Table. The way that we treat one another in our feast, or in our homes can still render our eating and drinking “unworthy.” So consider and take to heart the implications of this Table for our life together. As we partake of the one loaf we are being formed as one body, united to Christ and one another by one Spirit. Allow this Table to define your relationships to one another. You are members of one another. Let the words that you speak to one another as you pass the bread shape your actions toward one another. What would it look like if, “My life for yours,” governed all of our thoughts, words, and deeds concerning one another? That is what God intends to do in us by the power of his Spirit as we feed upon His Son. Here he is transforming us into the likeness of His Son such that we follow in his steps and lay down our lives for our friends.

Where does your help come from?

2008-09-08T08:07:00.000-07:00

In the second of the Songs of Ascents, the psalmist directs his eyes to the hills and asks the question, “From where does my help come?” He answers his own question and confesses that his “help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” And this confession was of vital importance to Israel’s ascent to Jerusalem. In making their ascent the people of Israel were to direct all of their attention to the maker of heaven and earth for he alone was their keeper, or guardian. You see when Israel looked to the hills they saw a lot of other sources of help, for there were many counterfeits that promised them help in distress. Many idolatrous shrines were set up on the hilltops in Palestine. Thus their looking to the hills involved a renunciation of these counterfeits and a confession of their faith in the Maker of heaven and earth. And in heeding the call to worship this morning, in making your ascent to the Jerusalem above, you likewise must set your minds and hearts upon God, from Whom your help comes. There are many counterfeits out there, other gods who would summon you to come to them for help. Whether the idols of sex, money, and power, or drugs, alcohol, and self-help; they are all counterfeits. The Triune God who has made and is now remaking the heavens and earth, he alone is your keeper, your guardian. He has not promised that the path will be easy, free from conflict and distress. No, he’s told us that the gate is narrow and the way is difficult that leads to life (Mt. 7:14). It’s filled with potholes and fraught with danger; the times are evil. But each week we rehearse our basic response to all that assails us in this life as we fix our eyes upon Jesus. He alone is your guide, leading you in paths of righteousness and granting you refreshment of soul in the means of grace he has given.

A Table of Maturity

2008-09-08T08:05:00.000-07:00

In this morning’s sermon we considered Paul’s warning not to submit ourselves to Jewish regulations. His reason was that in union with the death and resurrection of Jesus, we have attained maturity. The Old Covenant period (from Adam to the cross) was the period of humanity’s childhood, but the New Covenant period ushered in by the death and resurrection of Jesus is the period of sonship, or adulthood. This movement to maturity is depicted in the meal spread before us. We see the movement to maturity in the sequence of bread followed by wine. Bread is for children, whereas wine is for adults. As one has put it, “Bread is alpha food, wine is omega food. You eat bread to strengthen you for the day’s work and you drink wine to rest and celebrate the completion of work.” In the OT priests were forbidden to drink wine during their service. This is because the priests were actively engaged in their work; they were standing to serve and their work was never finished, thus they never sat down. This is why Jesus refused to drink wine while finishing his priestly work on the cross. You see in the OT wine is always held out as the promised blessing that comes after obedient, faithful labor. Thus following his long years of faithful service in the building of the ark and proclamation of righteousness, Noah plants a vineyard and drinks of the fruit of the vine. And it is for this reason that we are now able to drink wine in God’s special presence, because Christ as the great high priest has completed his work and taken his seat. He instituted a feast of bread and wine in order that we might recline with him and celebrate his finished work. Therefore enjoy this feast in the company of God’s family! Rejoice in the work that Christ has accomplished for you! Receive the blessing of bread and wine and be glad of heart!

Repentance and Ascension

2008-09-08T08:03:00.000-07:00

Psalms 120-134 are known as the “Songs of Ascents.” They were sung by the Israelites as they made their pilgrimages up to Jerusalem for the three great feasts of their year. As those who are likewise making our ascent to feast in God’s house, these psalms teach us much about we are to make this ascent. The first of these psalms is a plea for deliverance from a lying and warmongering people. And the psalmist’s righteous dissatisfaction with the culture around him is a prerequisite for biblical worship. When God calls his people to worship him, he calls them to break with ungodly thoughts, words, and deeds of the culture around them. Thus the psalmist leaves behind the lies and hostility of his culture to seek out the truth of God’s Law and the peace of his presence. And we likewise dwell in a culture that is steeped in lies and full of hostility. But do you share the psalmist’s distress with our culture? Or have you become accommodated to the lies and numb to conflict around you? The lies told about God, mankind, and the world are so pervasive that it is hard to escape them. The violence and conflict that mark our relationships are so “normal,” that peace is increasingly hard to find. In the midst of a culture like this we must learn to confess with Isaiah, that we not only live among a people of unclean lips, but also that “I” am a man of unclean lips. For you have no doubt bought into some of the lies of the world, whether regarding success, or beauty, or relationships. And you have no doubt learned to respond to people and circumstances with hostility rather than peace. In heeding the call to worship you must turn from these lies and hostilities to be transformed by the renewing of your minds. Transformed into a people ready to think and speak and live out truth towards your neighbor. Transformed into a people who seek peace and pursue it with God and your neighbor. Come, let us ascend by confessing our sins.

Songs of Ascents

2008-09-08T07:51:00.000-07:00

For the next couple months I'll be using the Songs of Ascents to guide my Exhortations. These psalms (120-134) were sung by Israel as they made their ascent to Jerusalem for the three great feasts of their calendar. I trust they be helpful to us as we make our ascent to the heavenly Jerusalem each week in our service of covenant renewal!

After deciding to do this I picked up Eugene Peterson's, A Long Obedience in the Same Direction, and realized that Peterson employs the Songs of Ascents as a guide for Christian discipleship. I think you would find Peterson's book a blessing and I'll no doubt be making use of his insights in my exhortations. The peace of the Lord be with you!

Filled with Christ

2008-09-08T07:48:00.000-07:00

This morning we considered Paul’s warning against being captivated by going back to the Old Covenant when you are already filled up in Christ Jesus. Just as the wilderness generation despised the manna and longed for life in Egypt, we are similarly tempted to despise the heavenly food given to us at this Table, as we long for something else. To the eyes of the flesh this Table can look pretty meager, a simple loaf of bread and a cup of wine. But to the eyes that God has opened by his Spirit, this is heavenly food by which Jesus gives us the life of God. This is one of the ways that we are filled up with all God’s fullness in him. Recall the progression of thought in verses 9 and 10. Paul says that all the fullness of the Godhead is embodied in Jesus and then out of that fullness we are filled. God fills Jesus and Jesus fills us. Well there is a similar progression of thought in John 6:57. There Jesus says that he lives because of the Father and in the same way the one who feeds upon him, will live because of him. The Father gives life to the Son and the Son gives life to us. And we receive this full, or abundant life, the very life of God, by feeding upon Jesus through faith. This simple Table of bread and wine affords us the opportunity to receive the life of God. Beloved, don’t despise this Table by thinking that true life can be found somewhere else. There are all sorts of programs and disciplines and spiritual gurus that will tell you to follow these 3 steps, or read this or that book and you will be fulfilled. But they aren’t the means of grace. There are all sorts of advertising that will tell you if you have this or that experience or possession, then you’ll be fulfilled. But they aren’t the means of grace. God has told you how he will fill you. He’ll fill you with his Word written and with His Word made flesh. Let us feed upon Him now by faith!

Check your pride at the door

2008-09-08T07:47:00.000-07:00

Last week I mentioned the vital importance of covenant community for growth to Christian maturity. One of the greatest hindrances to covenant community is pride, an overestimation of, and preoccupation with, the self. Knowledge puffs up and divides the church, but love edifies. So if we are to be knit together this morning by means of the Word, sacrament, and prayer, you must check your pride at the door. That’s actually the only way properly to heed the call to worship. The call to worship is a call to “bow down” and “kneel before the Lord our Maker” (Ps. 95:6). That is in fact the meaning of one of the NT words for worship, proskuneo. It means to prostrate yourself before God. And we do this every week in our confession of sin. But take heed because your heart and mind can remain puffed up with pride, even when you drop to your knees. The psalmist goes on to tell us why we are to bow and kneel in our worship, it’s because, “He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of his hand.” Pride is banished by the call to worship because God ALONE is God and you are not. You come before him as a people belonging to him; a people held in his hand. You are a dependent people; people dependent upon the grace and mercy of God in Jesus Christ. The heart of pride, however, thinks: “I’ve got it pretty well together;” or, “I’m not like so and so, I don’t struggle that.” That sort of thinking is what goes before a fall. Which helps us to see that one way or another we will be on our knees. We can start there and be lifted up by God in his grace, or we can end up there, humbled by God in his discipline. So as you contemplate kneeling before God in confession of your sins, be sure that this posture is indicative of your heart. For, “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble (Prov. 3:34).” And this grace is what we need to live together in peace.

A Table of Abundance

2008-08-18T08:28:00.000-07:00

This morning we’ve considered how Paul employs the metaphor of an overflowing cup to describe the thanksgiving that should characterize our lives as Christians. This image of abundance and excess is a common description of the covenantal blessings of God. For instance God told the Israelites that if they would honor him in the tithe, their vats would overflow with new wine (Prov. 3:9). In particular, he promised a coming age when the mountains would drip with sweet wine and all this hills shall flow with it (Amos 9:13-14). That age has arrived with the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ in the flesh to establish the mountain of the Lord’s house in the earth, which is the Church. And in this mountain, which is the Church, the Lord says that he has prepared an abundant feast for all peoples, a feast of wine and fatness (Is. 25:6). This feast is a sign of God’s blessing and favor and a picture of the abundant life that he desires to communicate to his people. Even so as you participate in this Eucharistic feast, God desires to fill you with the abundance of his grace in Jesus Christ. And as you receive the abundance of God’s grace at this Table, he desires that abundance to spill out into the rest of your lives in the form of gratitude. He wants to make you a thankful people, a Eucharistic people. A people marked and defined by grace and gratitude. This characteristic is largely absent from our culture. As Americans we are by and large a spoiled and ungrateful people. You are called to be different. You are called to be a grateful people who live out of the abundance of God’s grace. A people who are always able to give thanks for the blessings bestowed upon you in Jesus Christ. This Table forms you to be such a people. So come to this table of grace and gratitude!

14th Sunday after Pentecost: Colossians 2:1-7

2008-08-18T08:18:00.000-07:00

Last week we considered the nature and purpose of Paul’s ministry in Christ: his suffering to proclaim the mystery of the gospel and laboring to present every Christian mature in Christ. This week we begin to see how that purpose takes shape in Colossae as Paul agonizes over the maturity of the Colossians that they would come to a settled and active faith in Christ. This intense concern of Paul is of course one which every godly pastor shares, but it is also one that every godly parents shares for their children. And I would encourage those of you with children to be thinking along those lines as we proceed.

Paul begins chapter two by stating his desire that they “know” the conflict he has for all the churches that do not know him personally. Paul’s “conflict” for them is his mission to present the Gentiles as an offering to God made acceptable by the Spirit. This mission required him, as it does all ministers of the gospel, to labor, literally here to agonize in the contest of the faith. So Paul pictures the mission of the church (and elsewhere the Christian life) as a competition, an athletic contest in which strives towards a goal.

So for what goal did Paul labor? Verse two provides us with an answer and in providing this answer, sets before us another description of maturity. And there are three elements to this description that are each related to the other. Paul says he labors that their hearts may encouraged, or better strengthened. The word translated “encouraged” is the word used to refer to the Holy Spirit, as our Helper/Comforter in the Gospel of John. You know from you own experience of His presence with you that this word conveys a sense of empowerment. And this empowerment, this strengthening, comes to the “heart,” the seat of the mind, will, and emotions, the center of your being.

In what way will you receive empowerment that will affect your thinking, your desires, and your feelings? Well, Paul says this happens as the church is “knit together in love.” What we have here is another reference to the Church as a “body.” Paul will use this same term “knit” down in verse 19 to describe how our union with Christ the “head” results in our being knit together by joints and ligaments unto growth that is from God. Paul is saying that our mutual interdependence, the ways that our lives are intertwined, interconnected, can serve to empower and encourage us to mature in Christ. But it is only as our life together is animated by sacrificial love that we will receive this encouragement of heart. As one of the commentators put it, it is only as the love of God Himself penetrates your heart and wells up within your heart that the church can be sustained. For there are so many things for us to divide over, to take offense to, to grumble about, but love covers a multitude of sins, it suffers long and is not provoked. So beloved, you must endeavor to love one another, practically, tangibly, in your thoughts, words, and deeds. Life together is hard. We all get on each other’s nerves and do stupid things that upset one another. Sometimes your personalities simply conflict with one another. But you are part of one body and the Spirit is at work among you, forming you, knitting you together by your words and deeds of love.

And as you are knit together in this way you not only receive strength and encouragement of heart, but Paul says you attain “to all the riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, namely, Christ.” And thus you see again how our conduct, the way we live in community together, affects our understanding. Here, Paul piles up adjectives to describe the understanding that he wants the church to attain as a result of their shared life. This understanding is said to be “rich” and “full”. And the term translated “full assurance” is a term describing a settled conviction. Paul has already prayed that God would fill them with spiritual understanding, that is a Holy Spirit wrought insight into God’s saving plans. Now he is wanting them to grasp further the riches, or value, of this insight and to become settled in this understanding. And note how the church is integral to reaching this settled conviction concerning God’s plan to redeem the world. The very existence of the church in Colossae, and their participation therein, bore witness God’s salvation in Christ. And the existence of our small parish here in Greer, SC likewise bears witness to the gospel of God’s saving grace. And as you experience God’s grace here and have come to understanding of the salvation that is ours in Christ and as you look around and see God doing that in other people, you should be coming to a settled conviction as to the truth of the gospel, what he refers to here again as the mystery of God.

This mystery, Paul says, is Christ. The grammar there is a little awkward, but the sense of it is that Christ is the mystery of God. And Paul goes on to describe Christ as the one “in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” Christ, having been revealed in the flesh in his incarnation and now sitting at the Father’s right hand is said to possess these treasures of wisdom and knowledge. We saw last week that wisdom and knowledge are the possession of kings, the necessary prerequisites to exercise their rule in the wise ordering God’s creation. They were what Adam was supposed to receive from God in obedience to his Word, but which he seized in the tree in violation of God’s Word. And Christ as the Second Adam, the Kings of kings, is said to possess these treasures in all their fullness. This means that you, as those who have been made priests and kings unto God, must look to Christ for the knowledge (to discern between right and wrong) and wisdom (to apply this knowledge to the varied circumstances of life) that you need in the wise reordering of God’s creation.

So if you husbands want the knowledge and wisdom to rule your house well, you must seek that knowledge and wisdom “in Christ.” Wives if you are in need of the wisdom and knowledge to love your husbands and children and labor in your homes for the advancement of the kingdom, you must seek that k/w “in Christ.” If you’re single, and you need wisdom and knowledge to figure out the Lord’s plans for you, seek that in Christ. And for you younger folks as you are actively studying the world and trying figure out your place in it, the wisdom and knowledge you most desperately need are found in Christ alone. But you see this is where we get tripped up. That wisdom and knowledge are found in a person, particularly in the person of Christ. For us knowledge is information, it is something to be manipulated and consumed. And we’re so accustomed to the consumption and accumulation of knowledge that we are liable to miss this. Knowledge in Scripture is rooted in a relationship with the subject. Adam knew Eve, his wife and she conceived. And in the same way this k/w only comes in relationship to the one in whom they are hidden. This defines our posture and attitude in receiving these treasures. Proverbs 1:7 instructs us that the fear of the LORD is beginning of knowledge because He alone gives wisdom and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. Christ Himself is the Word from His mouth and has become for us wisdom from God.

Paul urges us all to recognize that the kingly treasures of wisdom and knowledge are found in Christ alone and are bestowed in a relationship of union and communion with Him. And thus he says we must all learn the lesson of Adam. Recall how Adam was deceived by the persuasive words of the Serpent into believing that the knowledge he needed could be gained in violation of God Word. Well in the same way Paul says he’s told them all this “lest anyone should deceive you with persuasive words.” They were inundated by a culture that told them true wisdom and knowledge were found anywhere, but in Christ. The false teachers told them it was found in the Law (for they stumbled over the cross) and the pagans would have told them it was found in the gods of the empire (for they regarded the cross as foolish). Likewise in our culture we hear a cacophony of voices urges us to find wisdom and knowledge apart from Christ, whether in the sciences or technology, or in more blatantly unbiblical practices. But by the encouragement and strength of heart and assured understanding that you have received as a result of your life together, you must stand firm against whatever would deceive you. The note of urgency to Paul’s writing arises from his absent from them, but he assures them of his presence in the Spirit (v.5) and says he rejoices to see their good order and the steadfastness of their faith. So it seems that the Colossians are were fairing well thus far. Their community life was well-ordered and their faith in Christ was firm. But how were they, and how are we, to stand against those who try to deceive us as to the source of wisdom and knowledge? How were they, and how are we, to attain maturity in Christ?

Well, in verses 6-7, Paul transitions from his statement of purpose to begin expounding on growth to maturity in Christ. These verses really sum up the teaching of the rest of chapter 2, 3, and the beginning of chapter 4. Paul tells us that the way to maturity and thus be safeguarded from deception, is in the same you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so you are to walk in Him. And each name or title here ascribed to Jesus is important. They have received the long promised Christ, or Messiah, who has redeemed his people from their sins. They have received the incarnate Son, Jesus, the image of invisible God, who not only created all things, but has reconciled all things to himself. And they have received the Lord, the one exalted to the right hand of the Father and who possesses all wisdom and knowledge as the King of kings and Lord of lords. But what does Paul mean when refers to their “receiving” this Jesus. In our context “receiving” Jesus as one’s Savior may mean praying the “Sinner’s prayer,” walking the aisle, throwing a pine cone in the fire, raising one’s hand, or any other number of variations. But in the NT the word “received” has a pretty technical meaning growing out the Judaism of the 1st century referring to the idea of a body of teaching/tradition being transmitted from person, or generation, to another. Thus in 1 Cor. 15 Paul says that he is delivering the gospel that he himself received and then he proceeds to detail the content of this gospel he received. Here in v.6 “Christ Jesus the Lord” is shorthand for the creedal confession that they would have made at baptism, which Paul will refer to in a few verses. This reception of Christ Jesus the Lord, then, was a formal and binding covenant entered into by faith alone, in renunciation of the world, and in utter dependence upon the person and work of Jesus Christ. And it focused upon their confession of his Lordship. In submitting to baptism they were swearing allegiance to Christ alone. And with this same sense of solemn obligation, Paul commands them walk in Christ. This is the same verb we considered in 1:10 when Paul prayed that they would walk in a manner worthy of the Lord. Here he commands them to walk, that is, live the whole of their lives in union with Christ with the same faith and obligation that characterized their conversion and baptism. Thus, Paul is telling us that growth to maturity has it’s beginning, progress, and it end, “in Christ.” All that you have and need is found in him.

He drives the point home, as he did in chapter 1, by explaining this “walk” with four participles that provide us with different metaphors for understanding growth to maturity. Each of these first two participles is said to take place “in Him.” First, growth to maturity is likened to a tree firmly rooted. In contrast to the other participles that are all in the present tense, this one is in the perfect tense and thus refers to a settled foundation or root system, established at a point of time in the past. Growth to maturity is rooted and sustained by an established connection to the soil of Jesus Christ, to his death and resurrection in particular. Second, growth is likened to a solidly built house. Thus we learn that whatever growth takes place only takes place as we remain connected to the foundation, to the root system. Abide in me, and I in thee, for apart from me you can do nothing. Third, growth is likened to the confirmation of a legal document. Our growth to maturity involves a certain confirmation in the faith that we have been taught. And fourth, growth is likened to an overflowing jug of wine. As you grow to maturity in Christ, thanksgiving to God for his grace, should well up within your hearts and spill out into your lives. This is a prominent theme throughout Colossians and helps us to see that thanksgiving is as one has said, “the main characteristic of God’s people, ‘a sign that they are indeed living in the new age.’”

So then we’ve considered how Paul agonizes over the maturity of the Colossians because he longs for them to come to a settled and deepening faith and understanding that they might stand firm in the faith. You’ve seen that there are a few things that are integral to this process. You must give yourselves to the communion of the saints, demonstrating your love for another, and thus being knit together, formed as one body. You must recognize that all the riches of w/k that you need to fulfill your calling as priests and kings unto God is found in Jesus Christ. And the way to access these riches is found in a relationship with Him, rooted in worship and obedience. You must endeavor to live your life in Christ with the same resolute faith and repentance that marked your reception of Christ as Lord. The sure sign that you are doing the above is that your lives should be overflowing with thanksgiving to God for the riches of his grace.

Trials and Maturity

2008-08-18T08:17:00.000-07:00

In heeding the call to worship this day many of you have gathered here in the midst of great difficulties and trials. Whether difficult pregnancies, long hours at work, the prospect of moving, the need to find employment, or financial difficulties; your lives are marked by various sorts of trials that are testing your faith in God. And in the midst of such difficulties you have gathered here, in the communion of the saints, to renew, and have your covenant renewed, with the Triune God, as we draw near to His throne of grace. And I exhort to enter into this service of covenant renewal with all of your heart, mind, soul, and strength. For here in the presence of God you can obtain mercy and find grace to help in your time of need. This mercy and grace, however, typically do not remove the difficulties that we experience, but rather transform us so that we may bear up under the weight of our trials in a way that pleases God. The Lord intends to mature you through these trials as the he works patience in you. Thus James says that you are to count it all joy when you experience various trials. Whether or not you can count such trials a joy, however, will depend upon your faith in God. For James says that the one who doubts should not expect to receive anything from God. I encourage you to enter his presence by faith, believing that he is the rewarder of those who diligently seek him. Humble yourself before him and he will lift you up. Cry out to him in your distress and he will hear you. Hearken unto his voice and he will instruct you. Come unto his table and he will feed and strengthen you by his grace. And he does all this to send you back out into all the trials and difficulties of life to manifest the righteousness, peace, and joy of his kingdom in the earth. Blessed be the name of the Lord!

Christ in You

2008-08-11T12:56:00.000-07:00

Calvin is often quoted as saying that if Christ remains outside of us, His person and work can be of no benefit to us. Our redemption is something that is accomplished outside us in the death and resurrection of Christ. The righteousness that we receive in justification is a righteousness, in Paul’s words, “not our own.” But so long as Christ and his benefits remain outside of us we are left are untouched by them, unchanged by them. This morning, though, we’ve learned that the mystery of the gospel is “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” That Christ comes to dwell within those who embrace the proclamation of His death and resurrection. And this indwelling is perpetual, on-going. Yet, here at His Table, in the eating and drinking of bread and wine, he likewise dwells in us. As you eat and drink by faith in Christ, you receive Christ in you. Christ told his disciples that his body was true food and his blood true drink. And that the one who eats and drinks his body and blood would abide in him and he in them. In this way the Lord’s Table proclaims and enacts the mystery of the Gospel. And it also becomes a primary means, along with the Word, of attaining the maturity for which Paul labored and strived. For as we feed upon Christ by faith we find that our faith is renewed and strengthened and Christ and his benefits are confirmed to us. We are reassured of his saving interest in us as the Father remembers his body broken for us and his blood shed for us. And through this process Calvin says, “Christ in a manner grows in us and we in Him.” That is because as Christ dwells in us, he transforms us and remakes us after his image. So come to the Table and find both the mystery and maturity of the gospel!

Practicing Reconciliation

2008-08-11T12:54:00.000-07:00

Last week we learned that we’ve been reconciled to God by the atoning death of Christ in our place. In reconciling us to Himself, God overcame that which alienated us from Him, namely sin. And though God has done this definitively in the cross, sin continues have this affect upon our relationship with God and others. As we sin and fail to deal with that sin properly, we experience a sense of alienation from God and others. As a result our relationship with God and our neighbor is disturbed. The way to rectify these relationships with Him is by repentance: confessing our sins to God and one another and endeavoring to walk in new obedience. And of course the liturgy affords us this opportunity every Lord’s Day as we corporately and individually confess our sins, receive His pardoning grace, and are sent out to walk in new obedience. But this weekly pattern needs to be followed and worked out the rest of the week as you sin against God and one another. The practice of corporate confession is intended to form us as humble people who take sin seriously; a people always ready to confess our sins to God and one another. This practice should also form you to be a people always ready to extend forgiveness to others when you are wronged. For as Jesus said, “If you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” Thus you must be people that are ready to be reconciled to one another; people who are ready to seek out your brother or your sister when you’ve wronged, or been wronged by them. Paul tells us that we must endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. So if you’ve wronged a brother or sister here, confess your sins now and seek them out to be reconciled to them. Otherwise how can you pass the peace, if conflict characterizes your relationships?

A Table of Peace

2008-08-08T07:27:00.000-07:00

In our text from last week Paul described one element of reconciliation as “making peace.” For reconciliation presupposes that God’s wrath has been satisfied and taken away. And thus the way is cleared for peaceful relations to be restored. And nothing proclaims the restoration of peace better than a meal. That is why a meal always concluded the cycle of sacrifices under the old covenant. The meal was itself a proclamation of what had taken place. Even so the bread and the wine spread before you now are a proclamation of the reconciliation that God has brought about for you in the death of Jesus Christ. He has established peace with you. His wrath abides upon you no longer. How do you know that he is at peace with you? He invites you to the feast! He invites to feast upon the very instrument of your reconciliation. It’s interesting that Paul mentions both the body and the blood in Colossians 1:20, 22. Some have seen this as setting a Eucharistic context for the passage and in particular for presentation of Colossians “in God’s sight.” That may be a bit of stretch, but there is no doubt that the celebration of this sacrament does involve an appearance before God’s face. An appearance and a meal that anticipate the Day when we will indeed be presented before him, holy, blameless, and above reproach. And this meal is also a means of ensuring that we might the condition set out in v. 23. What better way to abide upon the foundation and within the structure of the household of the faith than to keep the feast that spreads before us the very essence of our faith: the person and work of Jesus Christ? What better way to not be moved from the hope of the gospel than to keep the feast that proclaims the very essence of our hope: the Lord Jesus Christ Himself until he comes? Beloved, come to the feast and enjoy the peace of the Lord!

12th Sunday after Pentecost: Colossians 1:21-23

2008-08-08T07:09:00.000-07:00

INTRODUCTION
Two weeks ago we considered how joyfully giving of thanks to God was one aspect of walking in a manner worthy of the Lord. Paul then goes on to give three reasons why we should joyfully give thanks to God. The Christian is to give thanks to God for the New Exodus that he has accomplished for us in Christ. (12-14) And last week we learned that we are to give thanks to God for the universal supremacy of Christ in creation and recreation. (15-20) This week we learn that we are to give thanks to God because: The reconciliation of all things in Christ is applied to us to make us holy, provided we remain in the faith. IOW what we see in 21-23 is the application of last week’s text to the lives of the Colossians.
I. The need for their reconciliation. (21)
Last week I noted that reconciliation presupposes alienation, the rupture of a relationship. And it is this alienation that is now brought to foreground. Paul does this in order to throw the spotlight on the wonder of God’s grace in salvation. As many have pointed out, you don’t really grasp the nature of grace apart from understanding the nature of sin.
A. Their former state.
1. An emphatic statement of the plight of the Colossian apart from Christ.
2. If we were to bring out the force of the grammar: “they were once
continually and persistently out of harmony with God.”
3. The term speaks of estrangement and separation from God.
4. And this was the plight of all of us Gentiles (see Eph. 2:12ff).
Paul then proceeds to describe what this alienation looks like.
B. Their former attitude.
1. The term translated “mind” has a meaning similar to “heart” in the OT.
2. It refers to the seat of the mind, will, and emotions.
3. Thus the reference here is to their whole attitude and desires.
4. This whole complex was “hostile” to God.
5. As the seed of the Serpent they manifested that enmity towards God
resulting from the Fall.
C. Their former actions.
1. Their hostile attitude and desires were expressed in their wicked works.
2. And this is the way it is with all sin, it begins in the mind/heart and
works its way out to the actions of the hands and the feet.
3. This is why it is so important to guard your minds and hearts.
a. Men.
b. Young adults.
4. Its one of the reasons we believe so strongly in Christian education b/c the attitudes and desires of the mind and heart determines the course of one’s life.
5. The types of works that fall under this description are listed in 3:5-9.
What/who they once were is then contrasted with God’s action in Christ in their behalf and who that makes them.
II. The instrument of their reconciliation. (22a)
A. The action: reconciliation.
1. Though they were alienated and estranged from God, something occurred to change all that.
2. Last week I defined reconciliation as the bringing together of two partier formerly estranged.
3. This bringing together of God and man had “now” occurred for the Colossians.
4. And note that in order for this bringing together of God and man to take place, the cause of the estrangement must be dealt with: sin.
B. The instrument.
1. And it is the problem of sin that is dealt with “in the body of His flesh through death.”
2. Whereas in verse twenty the ground of reconciliation is stated to be “the blood of His cross,” here it is “the body of His flesh.”
3. But of course the reference is to the same event: the death of Christ.
4. It was the death of Christ for our sins, his becoming sin for us, embodying the curse for us, that restores us to God.
III. The purpose of their reconciliation. (22b-23)
A. Their future presentation. (22b)
This bringing together of God and man has a future orientation.
“To present you…in His sight” is a reference to the Last Day.
Rom. 14:10 is a good parallel, “stand before the judgment seat of Christ.”
So how shall we appear before him? Here Paul fuses sacrificial and legal imagery to make the point.
1. Holy and blameless.
a. These terms were used to describe the unblemished animals set apart for God as sacrifices.
b. The verb trans “present” is used of the presentation of sacrifices in Lev. 16:7.
c. And of course Paul uses it in Rom. 12:1 to refer to the presentation of our lives as living sacrifices to God.
d. So here the idea is that by the reconciling work of Christ, based upon his atoning death for us, we become consecrated as holy and without moral defect before him.
e. That is God’s purpose in establishing peace with you.
3. Above reproach.
a. This is a legal term referring to our public conduct.
b. The one who was blameless, or above reproach, was one against
whom no charge could be brought.
c. 1 Cor. 1:8 employs this same term in the same end times context, “who will confirm you to the end, that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
d. This text also helps us grasp how these things could be: it is through the ongoing work of the Risen Christ in you by the Spirit.
e. So putting all together we can say:
i. This purpose in rooted in eternity past.
ii. Is definitively accomplished in the Cross.
iii. Is carried out in the present by the Spirit.
iv. And will be fulfilled at the day of Christ.
This future fulfillment is conditioned upon their response to the grace of God in the present.
B. Their present obligation. (23)
This obligation is set forth in the form of a positive and then a negative condition.
1. Positively: Remain in the Faith.
a. The term trans. “continue” is based on the term to “dwell, or abide” and sets the stage for two architectural terms “grounded” and “steadfast.”
b. Grounded is a term referring to the foundation and steadfast is the term referring to the structure.
c. The building itself is “the faith” a reference to the Christian faith focused upon the person/work of Christ.
d. Paul’s saying if you want to appear before God on the Last Day, holy and without blemish and free from acusation, then you better abide in the apostolic faith of Jesus Christ.
e. How do you do that? You remain active in the church of Jesus Christ, devoted to the reading and preaching of the word, to sacraments of Jesus Christ, and to set and spontaneous times of prayer and devotion to Christ.
f. You must give yourselves to these disciplines of grace.
g. For if the faith is merely something that you have a passing interest in, that’s not going to cut it!
2. Negatively: Don’t be moved away from the hope of the gospel.
a. The word trans. “moved” is a word meaning “to shift” or “remove” and is used in the OT a couple times to describe an army being put to flight.
b. They are not to allow themselves to abandon lit. the hope that is the content of the gospel.
c. And we’ve seen the hope of the gospel is a reference to Jesus Christ Himself and the inheritance He has won for His people: the NHNE.
i. And again he reminds them that this gospel is not something spoken in a dark corner but is a universal message declared in all creation under heaven and concerns the whole creation.
ii. He always emphasizes this truth re: hope b/c it is hard to maintain faith in what is not seen.
iii. Everything in our culture leads us to put value on the present, but Paul:
d. So then if you want to appear holy and blameless and without accusation in the Day of Christ, you must not allow your mind and heart to be moved away from faith in blessed Hope and appearing of Jesus Christ.
e. In the words of Peter you must fix your minds upon the grace that is to be brought to you when Christ is revealed at the last day.
CONCLUSION/APPLICATION
So then we’ve seen how the reconciliation of all things in Christ extends and is applied to us, to those who have heard and believed the gospel of Christ. And that this reconciliation is effective, it does not leave you unchanged. It transforms you from someone alienated and estranged from God, to someone who is brought near to him to serve him as his priests. It transforms you from someone whose mind and heart were in opposition to him, to someone who is becoming and will be without moral defect. It transforms you from someone who actions with wicked, to someone whose actions will render you free from accusation on the last day. And yet it only does this as you diligently persevere in the Christian faith, as you give yourselves to this faith as the very substance of your life. And as you guard your heart and mind from being moved away from a fixed belief in the coming of Jesus Christ to bring in the NHNE. This faith that you are called to embody and live out is a message that concerns not only you, but all creation and ultimately will bring about a new creation filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. AMEN!

God's Righteousness and Ours

2008-08-08T07:07:00.000-07:00

There is striking parallel between Psalms 111 and 112. In Psalm 111 the LORD is praised for his wonderful works, which declare his graciousness and compassion. The psalmist concludes, “his righteousness endures forever.” Psalm 112 begins with the same call to praise the LORD, but this time the ground is the gracious and compassionate works of the righteous man. And the psalmist likewise concludes, “his righteousness endures forever.” The righteousness of the people of God is to endure just as the righteousness of God Himself endures. We learn from this that the way God works establishes the pattern of our own working. Just as the grace, compassion, and righteousness of God is seen in his giving of the gifts of food and land (Psalm 111), even so the grace, compassion, and righteousness of his people is to be demonstrated in their gracious and prudent lending and distribution of gifts (112). Just as God the Father has lavished his gifts upon you, even so you are to freely give the gifts of your time, resources, and talents to those in need. And just as the Father’s gifts are, at times, ungratefully received and/or taken for granted, your gifts and sacrifices will at times go unnoticed. The clearest example of this for many of you is in parenting. Your calling as parents is to freely give yourselves and all that you have for your children. And often this is a thankless task. Often your sacrifices of time and energy simply go unnoticed and are taken for granted. In times like these you must remember the calling to image your Father in heaven, who persists in the giving of his good gifts even when they are taken for granted. In times like these you must not grow weary in well-doing, for in due season you will reap the harvest if you do not lose heart.

Catching up

2008-07-31T09:16:00.000-07:00

The two posts below represent my attempt to get caught up with posting my sermons. With all busyness related to our move, I've just posted my study notes for the last two sermons. Hopefully next week I'll have the time to get my notes cleaned up to post, but with my ordination exam coming soon, we'll see...

11th Sunday after Pentecost: Colossians 1:15-20 (notes)

2008-07-31T09:07:00.000-07:00

INTRODUCTION
We’ve seen how Paul opens his letter to the Colossians by giving thanks for the fruit of the gospel in their lives and praying that they would have the knowledge to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord. As I noted last week, vv. 15-20 (and 21-23) are technically still a part of this prayer, serving as a further reason for joyfully giving thanks to the Father. In light of this Paul’s message in 15-20 is that we are to joyfully give thanks to the Father because of the universal supremacy of Christ in Creation and Recreation. What we find in these verses is a striking poetic expression of this truth. There are four balanced stanzas w/ the first and the last beginning with “Who is…” and the middle two beginning with “And He is.” The first and the last tell us move from who Christ is to what He does in creation and recreation, while the middle two briefly focus upon who He is in creation and recreation. There are also a number of recurring themes and phrases:
“Firstborn” in creation/recreation. (15, 18)
“First/before” in creation/recreation. (17, 18)
Creation/recreation concern “all things.” (16 2x’s, 17 2x’s, 18, 20)
Creation/recreation both come “through him.” (16, 20)
Essentially the poem shows how the “Wisdom” (Prov. 8:22) by which God created the world (Gen. 1:1) is embodied in Jesus Christ.
I. Stanzas 1-2: The Universal Supremacy of Christ in Creation. (15-17)
A. Stanza One: Who He is and what He does in Creation. (15-16)
1. Who He is. (15)
a. In relation to God. (15a)
i. The image of the invisible God.
ii. In JC the invisible God is visible, clearly revealed.
iii. Picking up the new creation context, He is the last
Adam, who in his person/work perfectly images the Father.
iv. In 2TJ “Wisdom” was said to be the “image” of God’s
goodness – this revelation is fulfilled in JC.
v. In Paul JC as “image” is always the pattern after which
the Xtn is transformed (3:10; 2 Cor. 3:18).
vi. IOW Jesus shows us what it means to be both God and man.
b. In relation to Creation. (15b)
i. The firstborn of (not “over”) all creation.
ii. In the OT applied to Israel (Ex. 4:22) and the Messianic
King (Ps. 89:27) re: their primacy in God’s purposes.
iii. In the NT exclusively applied to Jesus re: his supremacy (see Rom. 8:29).
iv. Jesus bears a unique relation to creation as both prior to, and supreme over it. [That supremacy is now explicated…]
2. What He does. (16)
“For” – what follows proves, or demonstrates his supremacy.
a. Its nature. (16a)
i. By/in Him all things were created.
ii. Should read “in” to preserve the parallel w/ v. 19.
iii. “Were created” is the divine passive – JC is the sphere
of God’s creative activity (nothing done outside of him).
iv. The tense of the 1st stresses the historical act while the second stresses the continuing existence of creation.
v. JC is the “master workman” of God (Prov. 8:30).
b. Its scope. (16b)
i. “All things” (2x’s) emphasized by chiasmus (were created all things…all things…were created.)
ii. The whole is then further specified by two couplets.
iii. Heaven/earth, visible/invisible – i.e. EVERYTHING!
iv. Thrones/dominions, principalities/powers.
(a). Hierarchies of angels active in the government of the world.
(b). In 2:10 he is said to be their head and in 2:15 they are disarmed by his death.
(c). Thus they include those angelic powers in the service of Satan at work in the unbelieving world.
(d) JC not only created them, but:
c. Its goal. (16c)
i. For him!
ii. Everything made in and through him exists for Him, that
is for his glory.
iii. Though the principalities and powers oppose him, he is their true lord, having created and defeated them (2:15).
B. Stanza Two: Reiteration of Who He is Creation. (17)
1. His universal supremacy. (17a)
a. And He is before all things.
b. This phrase intros the two short stanzas and is emphatic!
c. The prep “before” has the senses of both time (“in the beginning
was the Word”) and rank (“he is first by virtue of his p/w”).
2. His universal power. (17b)
a. And in Him all things consist.
b. This goes beyond the preceding, but is implied by it.
c. Not only all things created “in Him,” but literally are held
together “in Him.”
d. The tense of this verb indicates that this is continuing activity of Christ that began at a point of time in the past.
e. Apart from the power and wisdom residing in Christ, the world would literally come apart.
f. And this is a truth that needs to be emphasized as much (if not more) in our day than in Paul’s.
II. Stanzas 3-4: The Universal Supremacy of Christ in Recreation. (18-20)
Who Christ is and what he does in Creation sets the stage for who he is and what he does in recreation.
A. Stanza Three: Introduction of Who He is in Recreation. (18a)
Standing at the outset of this new creation is a person, a body, a new man to carry out God’s purposes for creation.
1. His supremacy.
a. And he is the head of the body.
i. In relation to this new body, Christ is the head.
ii. That is, he is in the position of control over the body.
iii. The body sustains a vital relationship to him and is
dependent upon.
2. His people.
a. The body which is the church.
i. This new body is identified as the church.
ii. In the LXX it translates a word used to describe the
people as summoned for some special purpose.
(a). Dt. 4:10 - "On the day when you were a church before the LORD your God in Horeb, when the LORD said to me, 'Gather the people as a church to me..."
iii. In the NT it the term describing the people called out of the world into communion with Christ and one another.
iv. It is the visible, local, entity entrusted with the word, sacraments, and discipline of Christ and marked by unity, holiness, and apostolic faith.
Christ’s headship over the church follows from:
B. Stanza Four: Who He is and what He does in Recreation. (18b-20)
1. Who He is. (18b-19)
a. In relation to Creation. (18b)
i. Who is the beginning.
(a). Just as wisdom was in the beginning, even so
Jesus is the beginning.
(b). The term usually means source, or first principle.
(c). The next phrase explains its sense here.
ii. The firstborn from the dead
(a). Refers to his resurrection from the dead.
(b). Its uniqueness/primacy stems from its being the
beginning of God’s new creation.
(c). When he burst forth from the tomb, the new creation burst forth into the world.
(d). This act established Jesus as the founder of this new generation.
iii. Purpose: that in all things He may be first.
(a). He’s always been first by right, as Creator/Lord.
(b). But to become so in fact, required him to defeat
sin and death, which is declared in his resurrection.
(c). See Phil. 2:5-11.
(d). Note, not simply first in all things!
It is fitting that JC should be first in all things for:
b. In relation to God. (19)
i. God in all His fullness was pleased to dwell in Him.
ii. Throughout the OT is pictured as filling places with His
presence, His glory, His knowledge.
iii. In this connection the verb “pleased” is often used to indicate God’s good pleasure esp. re: his dwelling place.
(a). Ps. 68:16 – Zion is the mountain in which God is pleased to dwell forever.
iv. Jesus is now the place in which God is pleased to dwell.
v. And to dwell in the fullness of all his divine attributes.
And to what end does all the fullness of deity reside in Jesus?
2. What He does. (20)
a. Its nature: Reconciliation.
i. God by Him reconciles to Himself.
ii. The word means to bring together two parties that are
estranged, whose relationship is marked by hostility.
b. Its scope: All things.
i. Those in need of this reconciliation are “all things.”
ii. God, by Christ, has brought “all things” back into a right
relationship with God: Men, Angels, the Cosmos.
iii. In reconciliation the heavens (angelic powers) and earth (man/world) have been brought back into God’s intended order under the rule of a New Adam.
c. Its goal: Establishing peace.
i. Through this New Adam, God has made peace between Himself and all things.
ii. This peace is either freely accepted by faith or sovereignly imposed by force: every knee will bow!
d. Its ground: The blood of His cross.
i. Since sin is the reason for the estrangement and hostility, the ground of reconciliation is the blood of the cross.
ii. By the shedding of his blood atonement is made and peace is effected between God and man.
CONCLUSION/APPLICATION
So on the basis of what we’ve seen in this hymn, you are to give thanks to God because of the supremacy of Jesus Christ in creation and recreation, redemption. Just as the Colossians were tempted to seek salvation somewhere else, you’ve been reminded that salvation is found, and can only be found, in Jesus Christ. And just as many Christian’s are tempted to seek growth somewhere else, you’ve been reminded of the centrality of the church in bringing about the new creation. This new creation and rule of Christ are most clearly seen here is the assembly of His redeemed people. But this rule and new creation are to spill out from the church to the four corners of the earth. And as they do so, be reminded that Jesus is Lord of it all. As Abraham Kuyper said, there is not one square inch of the earth over which Jesus doesn’t say Mine!

10th Sunday after Pentecost: Colossians 1:9-14 (Notes)

2008-07-31T08:46:00.000-07:00

INTRO
Last week we considered how Paul began developing his purpose of setting out the way to maturity in Christ by thanking God for the fruit of the gospel in their lives. Through the gospel, God is bringing about a new creation, a people marked by lively faith and sacrificial love. As Paul thanks God for the fruitfulness of the gospel, he is led to pray for the fruitfulness of those to whom the gospel comes. In vv. 9-14 Paul prays that they be filled with the knowledge to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord. While this is a prayer, it is a prayer that teaches, just like the psalms.
I. The prayer. (9)
Paul picks up and reiterates the statement of prayer in v. 3.
Again he reiterates the constancy and regularity of his prayers for them.
And this is simple point, worth noting: Paul prays for what he works for.
Just as he is going to say in v. 28, “”, even so he prays for their maturation in Christ.
IOW there is a priority placed upon prayer in his writings.
Think how often we undertake various endeavors w/out committing them to the Lord in prayer.
A. Filled with knowledge of God’s will.
Note: Divine passive: IOW “God might fill you…”
1. God’s will.
a. As I noted in v. 1, God’s will is not simply what God…
b. It involves His will to bring about a new creation in Christ.
c. That overarching will of God, then directs our actions.
d. We are to manifest that new creation life in every area of life.
2. Knowledge.
a. Thus an insight into this new creation and its implications for us.
b. Far from the speculative and abstract knowledge promised by the false

teachers, the knowledge Paul prays for is concrete, practical and lived in…
B. In wisdom and spiritual understanding.
These three terms (K, W, U) need to be read in their OT context, where they are the fruit of God's Spirit.
For instance consider Ex. 31:3 where God says that he “filled” Bezalel “with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship.”
So Bezalel engaged in his new creation work re: the Tabernacle by being filled with just these traits.
1. In the OT wisdom is the ordering of creation under God.
2. This was the test held out for Adam in TOTKOGAE: Would Adam humbly
receive wisdom from God by ordering creation according to His Word, or would he
arrogantly seize wisdom in violation of His Word?
3. The passage in Ex. 31:3 makes it clear that true knowledge, wisdom, and
understanding come from God by His Spirit.
4. So now when Paul prays that God would raise up a bunch of new Adams
"bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God," he first
prays that they be filled with the gift that will enable them to take up this calling:
the Holy Spirit wrought knowledge, wisdom, and understanding of God’s will to
play their part in this new creation.
II. The purpose. (10a)
Note here the purpose of k/w/u is not to win a theology argument, or sound important, but…
A. To walk in a manner worthy of the Lord.
1. “Walk” in the OT was a common image depicting the conduct of…Life then was
pictured as a “way,” a journey toward new creation.
2. One’s conduct in this “way,” is to be “worthy,” that is, in keeping with the person
and work of Jesus.
B. Fully pleasing Him.
1. This is what it means to walk worthy of Him.
2. Conducting one’s life so as to bring Jesus joy and delight.
a. We know w/out faith it is impossible to please God (Heb. 11:6).
b. We know that those in the flesh cannot please God (Rom. 8:8).
c. Walking by faith according to the power of the Spirit is how to
please God.
But what does that look like? Well, Paul goes on in four participial phrases to define, our give the concrete shape of walking in this way.
III. The description. (10b-14)
A. Being fruitful in every good work. (10b)
1. Just as the gospel went throughout the world bearing fruit, even so…
2. The gospel creates new Adam’s, fruitful and productive members of…
3. Here this fruitfulness is said to be good works – those works consistent with
God’s new creation (see Col. 3:12ff: works of kindness and humility; loving your
wives and children, laboring diligently in your employments).
Note what this kind of living leads to:
B. Increasing in the knowledge of God. (10b)
1. Here we begin to see a spiraling movement.
2. As you receive the knowledge of God’s will and begin to apply that knowledge in
the ordering of your life, that leads to greater knowledge.
3. Note the importance of obedience for knowledge!
But Paul knows that this spiraling movement is itself founded upon God’s power:
C. Being strengthened for endurance. (11)
1. Lit. empowered with all power.
2. This power is in keeping with God’s glorious might.
a. The same might and power displayed in the Exodus.
b. The same might and power displayed in the Resurrection. (Eph)
3. God directs this might and power for the endurance needed to not grow weary
in well-doing.
4. This “way” is difficult and we are prone to throwing in the towel.
5. These terms are nearly synonyms.
a. Patience: Resolute endurance under difficult circumstances.
b. Long suffering: Patient endurance that does not retaliate (lit. "the
long breath"). Ex. 34:6 – “slow to anger,” Gal. 5:22 as a fruit of the Spirit.
D. Joyfully giving thanks to the Father for the New Exodus. (12a-14)
This is what sets Paul apart from the Stoics.
They could drum up resolute and patient endurance, but to do so with joy!
Think of Paul and Silas in prison in Philippi in Acts 16:25. (hymns at midnight)
1. He has made us heirs. (12b)
Here Paul uses terminology that reminds of the OC.
a. The notion of inheritance = Acov/Canaan.
b. The saints = God’s priestly people.
c. Light = Heavenly city.
d. Under the NC the promise of Canaan has been transformed into
the promise of the NH/NE to which Canaan pointed (Rom. 4:13).
e. It is for this inheritance that we have been qualified by faith/baptism into
Christ (Gal. 3:27-29).
And just as God acted in the Exodus to bring Israel into their inheritance:
2. He has delivered us from darkness into the kingdom of His Son. (13)
a. Note that power and kingdom are parallel, as are darkness and the Son.
b. In the Exodus that Christ accomplished for us on the cross (lk. 9:31), the
power and dominion of sin over us has been (past tense) broken just as
surely as the power and dominion of Pharaoh over Israel was broken when
he was cast into the sea.
c. And just as Israel was delivered out of Egypt into Canaan, even so God
has conveyed/transferred us into the kingdom of Jesus.
d. This is of course shot through with baptismal associations since Paul
elsewhere refers to the Exodus as Israel’s baptism and it was at Jesus’ own
baptism that God referred to Him as His beloved Son.
And just as God “bought” Israel in the Exodus (15:16), even so…
4. In the Son we have redemption. (14)
a. In the exodus of the cross, Jesus has bought/redeemed us just as God
bought Israel (Gen. 15:16). “You’ve been bought with a price..."
b. This redemption that is ours in union with Jesus consists of the
forgiveness of sins.
c. It was for this reason the Jesus came into the world (Mt. 1:21).
d. And beloved this is your possession (“we are having”) in Christ. e. In the
same way that God hurled Pharaoh and his armies to the bottom of the sea,

He has hurled your sins to the bottom of the sea and He remembers them no more.
f. For Christ has made atone for them and you are now clean in His sight!
CONCLUSION
So then we’ve considered this rich prayer of Paul that they be filled with the knowledge of God’s will to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord. You’ve learned something of what this walk consists: being fruitful, increasing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened by God for endurance, and giving thanks to God for the new exodus He has accomplished in His death. In terms of Paul’s overall purpose in the book, he is saying that the way to maturity for God’s people begins in prayer. Growth to maturity in Christ is not something that you can do on your own, it is something that God gives. It begins with the gift of knowledge given by His Spirit and as this knowledge is put into practice, He gives more! But even the putting it into practice is founded upon God’s power at work in you raising you to walk in newness of life and not grow weary in well-doing. This is the way to walk worthy of the Lord, the way to maturity in Christ!

This is why we're here!

2008-07-31T08:41:00.000-07:00

This morning we considered the meaning of the term “church,” particularly in light of its OT background. We learned that it described the people as summoned, or assembled for some purpose. In the example I used from Dt. 4:10, they were to assembled as a church before God in order to hear his words so as to fear Him and teach their children. And we certainly still assemble as the church for that purpose. Yet, Paul introduces another purpose for our assembling. In 1 Corinthians 11 he rebukes the Corinthians because when they “come together as a church” (v. 18) they are divided and factious, and thus he forced to conclude, “when you come together in one place, it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper. (v. 20)” Underlying this negative statement stands the positive teaching of Paul that when the church comes together it is to eat the Lord’s Supper. Sharing in the body and blood of Christ constituted at least a, if not the, primary purpose of the assembling of the church. We read of them participating in this feast quite regularly in the Acts of the Apostles, at the very least on the first day of the week, if not daily. It is one of the practices to which the church was devoted along with the apostle’s teaching, fellowship, and the prayers. The breaking of the bread defined who they were as believers in Jesus Christ. This Table, then, is central to our gathering, to what it means to be the Church of Jesus Christ. As the Church of Jesus Christ, members of His body, we are utterly dependent upon our Head to give us what is needful to sustain our life in Him. And what is needful to sustain our life in Christ, is Christ Himself and all His benefits. And that is what is spread before you this morning in the bread and the wine. This is why we are we here!

"Us" and "Them"

2008-07-31T08:39:00.000-07:00

As God’s royal priesthood we stand between God and the world. We represent God to the world and the world to God. We bring the world to God and we, as it were, take God to the world. Our priestly calling thus defines our relationship to the world around us. We exist for the life of the world. So, fundamentally, it’s not so much, “Us versus Them,” and it is, “Us for Them.” Now that is not to say that there is no conflict between “Us” and “Them.” There is! As God’s royal priesthood we must be against the world in order properly to be for the world. As John writes we must “not love the world or the things in the world,” by which he means, “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.” And in this sense the world is not simply something out there, but rather is something we must begin rooting out in here. That’s of course one of the mistakes of monasticism and all other retreatist responses to the world. At the end of the day the world is in your heart. The other mistake is neglecting Jesus’ petition in John 17:15, “I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that you should keep them from the evil one.” Jesus intended for us to remain in the world in order that “the world may believe that” He was sent by the Father. Indeed in this same prayer, He says, “As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.” And we know from His instruction to Nicodemus earlier in the Gospel that “God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” And in the same way you have been sent into the world, not for its condemnation, but for its salvation. Your calling, then, is to bear witness to Jesus Christ by maintaining that unity, holiness, and faith that have marked the church universal since the days of the Apostles and by calling your friends and neighbors to join this communion of the saints.

A Table of Thanksgiving

2008-07-24T11:48:00.000-07:00

This morning we learned that one goal of knowing God’s will is that we may “give thanks” to the Father for the new exodus that He has accomplished for us in His beloved Son. The term translated “give thanks” is a form of the word, eucharisteo, from which we get the word “Eucharist.” The church very early on began to refer to this meal as the Eucharist, as our giving of thanks to the Father. And thus here at this Table, Paul’s prayer is answered. For the bread and the wine are the symbols of the new exodus that Jesus accomplished for us in His death. Just as Yahweh hurled Pharaoh’s chariots and armies into the sea, even so the Lord Jesus Christ has crushed the head of the one who stands in opposition to us. In His body broken, He broke the powers of darkness over us. In His blood shed, He redeemed us and qualified us for our inheritance. So as we eat the bread and drink the wine we do so joyfully giving thanks to the Father for what Jesus has done for us. And that’s why we sing during the Supper. Joyful and thankful people sing! This is the kind of fruit that God wants to see His people bear and in which He wants us to increase. This was to be one aspect of the fruitfulness of Adam, but as Paul wrote, he “would not glorify God, nor give thanks.” The giving of thanks is a vital part of what it means to be created beings. In the giving of thanks we confess our need for, and dependence upon God. We are the recipients of His bounty and we acknowledge that in the giving of thanks. To fail to give thanks, then, is to deny God’s goodness and to ascribe what we have to the strength of our own hands. The Eucharist, therefore, trains us receive God’s gifts with thanksgiving. For here we receive the gift of His Son.

Worship Training

2008-07-24T11:45:00.000-07:00

What we are doing in corporate worship is relearning what it means to be creatures made in the image and likeness of God. In the Fall mankind “exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator.” In redemption we have become “a people for God’s own possession so that [we] may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called [us] out of darkness into His marvelous light.” But, as I noted last week, this takes work! It requires a complete reorientation of the direction of our lives, which of course is the work of the Holy Spirit in conversion. Furthermore, it requires an ongoing training of our minds and our hearts, our hands and our feet, to respond appropriately to God. And that is what we are “relearning” in corporate worship. We are relearning what it means to honor God and give Him thanks for His gifts in our lives so that He might receive glory. This process of “relearning” involves a death to our former way of life and a resurrection into a new way of life. That is why Paul describes it as a sacrifice, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service (Rom. 12:1).” We are reminded of the necessity of this sacrifice, of this death, each and every Lord’s Day as we gather here for the Lord’s Service. The call to worship is a call to die to the wrong responses to God and His Word that plagued our lives outside of Christ, and against which we continue to battle in Christ. It is not in our nature to heed this Call and most in our culture do not. But in Christ we are learning to heed this Call. And in learning to heed this call, relearning what it means to be God’s people, “to the praise of His glory.”

A Table of Hope

2008-07-15T04:55:00.000-07:00

In this morning’s sermon we considered how lively faith and sacrificial love spring from the hope laid up for us heaven. You’ll recall how I said that this hope doesn’t refer to our activity of hoping, but rather to the content of our hope. The hope laid up for us in heaven is the exalted Christ and the inheritance that He has secured for us: eternal life in the new heavens and the new earth. Yet, this hope is not something wholly future; it is something that we partake of in the present by faith in Christ. And beloved here, at the Lord’s Table, this hope is set before us. For here, Christ, our hope of glory, is set before us. Here at this Table we are given access to the hope laid up for us in heaven. It is for this reason that we have made our ascent into the courts of heaven. One theologian has compared this to what happens in Numbers 13 when the spies bring fruit back to the wilderness from the land of promise. They bring back grapes and pomegranates and figs so that Israel can see and taste and touch the blessings that await them. It’s as if Israel’s future was arriving in their present experience. For by tasting that fruit Israel was able to enjoy the benefits of the Promised Land while remaining in the wilderness. In the same way in the Lord’s Supper Jesus brings us the benefits of the age to come. In the words of Hebrews 6:5 we taste “the good word of God and the powers of the age to come.” In the bread and the wine we see and touch and taste the bounty that awaits us in the marriage supper of the Lamb. It’s as if that future hope is arriving in our present experience. And it is! Beloved of the Lord, feed upon this hope which is laid up for you heaven. Do so believing that one day this hope will be fulfilled in the marriage supper of Lamb. And let your participation in this hope strengthen your faith in Christ and fill your hearts with love for Him and one another!

9th Sunday after Pentecost: Colossians 1:3-8

2008-07-15T04:53:00.000-07:00

Last week I introduced the book of Colossians noting that Paul’s purpose in writing is to set out a way to maturity for the people of God that is rooted in union with Christ. In the face of false teachers telling the Colossians to do this or that to progress in the Christian life, Paul tells them that they already have all they need in Christ. In his introductory greeting we saw that the Colossians have been given: 1). Access to God’s sanctuary as priests(“saints”); 2). Enduring faith to continue “in Christ” (“faithful brethren”); 3) God’s bounteous gifts and favor in Christ (“grace”); 4) Fullness of restored relations with God and one another (“peace”). As Paul begins to develop his message in the body of the letter in vv 3-8, he begins by thanking God for the fruit of the gospel in their lives. In this thanksgiving we are given a glimpse into how God’s grace works in our lives, and in the world as a whole, to bring about a new creation. Following an introductory statement of thanksgiving and prayer in v.3, Paul goes on to tell us what he thanks God for in vv. 4-5a. Then in vv 5b-8 he tells us how this things have come about.
In v. 3 we have a straightforward statement of thanksgiving and prayer to God. Paul writes that he and Timothy always thank God and pray for them. Their prayer of thanksgiving will be elaborated in vv. 4-8 and their prayer of petition will be elaborated in vv. 9-12, which we will consider next week. Before passing on to v. 4, however, note the regularity and constancy of Paul and Timothy’s prayers for them. “Always” doesn’t mean every second of the day, but it does convey the idea that Paul and Timothy prayed for the Colossians everyday and probably throughout the day. It is most likely that prayers of thanksgiving and intercession for the Colossians (and other churches) formed a fixed part of Paul’s hours of prayer in the morning, at noonday, and in the evening.
So when Paul prays for the Colossians, for what does he thank God? In vv. 4-5a we find that he thanks God for the fruit of faith, love, and hope. This triad is a fixed part of Paul’s teaching (most notably in 1 Cor. 13), but here it is developed in a different manner than elsewhere. The first thing that Paul thanks God for is their “faith in Christ.” This, of course, concerns their confession of faith, “if you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you shall be saved (Rom. 10:9.” Historically the Church has taught that there are three elements to saving faith: knowledge, assent, and trust. A confession of faith in Jesus has a definite content focused upon the person and work of Jesus, minimally that he died on the cross to atone for our sins and was raised the third day. A person must assent to this content, believing to be a true statement of the gospel. And then a person must put their trust in this gospel. It is not enough to know the message and believe it is true, the demons have that kind of faith. No, a person must believe this message is true for them, and stake their life upon it’s truth and commit themselves to it. And the Colossians had that kind of true saving faith.
Now all throughout Scripture, and especially in Paul, saving faith is always demonstrated in concrete actions (“faith working by love”). And this is the case for the Colossians as well. For the second thing that Paul thanks God for is their “love for all the saints.” Of all the demonstrations of faith the Scriptures return again and again to love. Jesus referred to this it as his new commandment, “that you love one another (Jn. 13:34).” Paul referred to love as “the fulfillment of the Law (Rom. 13:10).” In the NT love is always patterned after the sacrifice of Christ. For in this event we see the nature of true love as a sacrificial action. For the Colossians this love would have involved an active and practical concern for the needs of their brothers and sisters in Christ that would have moved them to meet those needs without regard to what it would cost them. And note to whom this love is directed: “for all the saints.” This phrase means to all without exception. Their love went out to any and all of Christ’s people regardless of the factors that normally divide, factors of race, class, or gender. For these have all been overcome in union with Christ.
So Paul thanked God that the Colossians were marked by faith and love. And these two fruits function as indications of the working of God’s grace. When a person has an orthodox profession of faith in Jesus and their life demonstrates that faith in sacrificial love for God’s people, then we rightly regard that person as a Christian. And in the same way we can use these criteria to assess our faith and life. Would the Apostle Paul likewise give thanks to God for our faith and love? Does this living faith and sacrificial love characterize our relationships within our families and our church? Furthermore, this is the fruit that we pray for and work for in our children, that they would hold fast their confession firm until the end and demonstrate this confession in sacrificial love for God’s people.
As I mentioned earlier faith, love, and hope are a familiar triad in Paul’s writings. And hope is the third thing that Paul thanks God for in the beginning of v. 5: “the hope laid up for you in heaven.” But we need to note the function of the hope. Paul introduces hope in v.5 as the cause of their faith and love: “because of the hope…” Whatever this hope is it serves as the motive, or impulse for faith and love. The NIV actually captures well this function of hope when translate the verse, “the faith and love that spring from hope.” So what is this “hope laid up for you heaven.” It is not the activity, but rather the content of our hope. It is laid up for you heaven so that it is safe and secure in the place where thieves cannot break in and steal, nor moth or rust decay it. If we pay attention to the broader context of Colossians we can say that this hope refers to Christ and the life that he has secured for us. In Col. 1:27 Paul sums up the mystery of gospel as “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” So in this verse Christ is associated with our hope. Furthermore in Col. 3:1-4 Paul’s us to “seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.” This clearly a reference to heaven where our “life is hidden with Christ in God.” And Paul says that “when Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.” Given the association between Christ and hope in 1:27 and our life hid with Christ in God in heaven in 3:1-4, we can safely conclude that the hope laid up for us in heaven is Jesus Himself and the eternal life that He has secured for us. But how does this hope cause faith and love? Well, it is as we look to Christ and consider the life that will be ours when He comes again and live that life in the present. Furthermore it is Christ at the right hand of the Father, Who has poured out His Spirit into our hearts to fill us with faith and love.
Paul isn’t content simply to tell us what he thanks God for because in vv. 5b-8 he goes on to tell us how the Colossian’s faith, love, and hope have come about. He sums it up in the end of v. 5 saying the heard about this hope in the gospel. Their faith, love, and hope have come about as a result of gospel they have heard. And Paul tells us several things about this gospel. First, the gospel is a truthful announcement (5b). We know that the gospel is an announcement because it something they heard. It is the declaration of the person and work of Jesus Christ. Paul sums it up as the declaration that He died on the cross for our sins and was raised up on the third day to sit at the right hand of the Father as Lord of heaven and earth (see 1:15-20). By referring to this announcement as the “word of truth,” Paul is drawing a contrast between the message they heard from Epaphras and the message they have heard from the false teachers. The former is true; the latter is false. Since they have believed the true message their hope is certain and secure.
Second, the gospel is a universal announcement (6a). The message they have heard is not something spoken in a dark corner, but has “come to you as it has also in all the world.” The gospel announced to the Colossians concerned not Colossae, but the four corners of the Empire and everywhere in between. Note how Paul personifies the gospel by speaking of it as coming. This personification of the gospel is intended to communicate God’s action in the gospel. When you think about the gospel being unleashed in the world, think about the image we’re given in Rev. 19:11ff. There, Jesus is described as “the Word of God,” leading the saints on horseback with the two edged sword proceeding out of His mouth. Through the church’s proclamation of the gospel, Jesus is conquering the world. And the Colossians have likewise been conquered by Jesus in His gospel.
Third, the gospel is an effective announcement (6b). Everywhere this gospel is announced it is pictured as “bring forth fruit.” This image of fruitfulness reminds of the calling of Adam to “be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth and subdue it (Gen. 1:28).” This calling was reiterated time and again to Noah, Abraham, and Israel. Now finally, through the gospel, this calling is being fulfilled. As one has noted, God is now doing through the gospel what He always intended to do: fill the earth with fruitful, productive, image-bearers for His glory. Paul wanted the Colossians to know that the source of this fruitfulness did not lie in them, but in God’s action in the gospel. Fourth, the gospel is a gracious announcement (6c). God’s action in the gospel was a gracious action. The gospel announced to them is described as “the grace of God in truth.” In this announcement God’s saving grace is truly revealed as the source of all fruitfulness, as the source of the faith and love that now characterize them. This fruitfulness had a beginning point in their experience: “since the day you heard and knew.” When God sent the gospel to them and opened and minds and hearts to understand it, the gospel began bearing fruit and increasing among them.
Last, the gospel is a commissioned announcement (7-8). God sent the gospel to them by one commissioned to preach, Epaphras. Paul says they “learned” this gospel from Epaphras. This truthful, universal, effective, gracious announcement must proclaimed and taught by men sent for this purpose. Epaphras is given a standing on par with Paul and Timothy as “our fellow servant.” Furthermore he “is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf.” Note that the way Epaphras discharged his ministry to Christ, was on behalf of the Colossians. This is how you are to think about my ministry. That I labor before Christ in your behalf in order that you might hear and be taught this glorious gospel and that I may have occasion to declare “your love in the Spirit.”
This is first reference to the Holy Spirit in the letter, but His activity has been assumed throughout. So consider this in closing. When Paul thanked God for the fruit of the gospel in their lives, he was thanking the Holy Spirit by whose power that fruit was produced. For it is the Holy Spirit who unites you to Jesus. It is the Holy Spirit who works faith in your heart and who is poured out into your heart as the love of God enabling you to love one another. It is the Holy Spirit who seals for you for the Day of Redemption that your hope may not be disappointed. And it is as the Spirit accompanies the preaching of the gospel that fruitfulness extends throughout the earth, to Greer even as it did to Colossae.

The Work of the People

2008-07-15T04:13:00.000-07:00

The term liturgy is based on a Greek word, leitourgia, meaning “the work of the people.” It is used throughout the Greek translation of the Old Testament to describe the sacrificial ministrations of the priests and in the New Testament to describe various sacrificial actions of believers. The church fathers used this term to describe what we do in corporate worship. The worship that we offer to Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is “the work of the people.” Just a few thoughts on what this means for us. First, it means that what we we’re doing is work! It is hard and requires effort. But isn’t it the case that most things worth doing take work. If you think about it, nations of this world often require applicants for citizenship to learn a number of things before becoming citizens. Why should it be any different when we become citizens of God’s holy nation, the Church? We too must learn a new language, new rites and customs, and new songs. And that takes work! It takes practice! We shouldn’t think that we could just stroll into God’s house and know what pleases Him. There is a proper sense in which what we do in the liturgy is foreign to us and must be learned. Second, this liturgical ‘work’ is done by, “the people.” This was one of the central privileges recovered in the reformation, “the priesthood of all believers.” At that time liturgy had devolved into “the work of the priest.” And the Reformers, hearkening back to Scripture and the early church, said, “No! Worship is the work of the people!” That is why the liturgy is full of things for you to do, to say, and to sing. This is your work, our work, not mine. So give yourselves to this work! Labor in it by the power of the Spirit that we may “offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe” (Heb. 12:28).

Another Beaton on the Trail

2008-07-09T07:19:00.001-07:00

Greetings friends! Just wanted to let you know that Jennifer and I are expecting again! Please join us in giving thanks as well as praying for good health and God's grace upon mom and baby. This is just another aspect of walking in way of Jesus: learning to receive and acknowledge his blessings in our lives. We know and confess that the fruit of the womb is a reward from God (Ps. 127:4) and we are thankful that He has been pleased to bestow another arrow in our hands! Blessed be the name of the Lord!

A Table of Grace and Peace

2008-07-06T18:31:00.000-07:00

We’ve noted this morning that Paul writes to the Colossians to show them the way to maturity in Christ, a way founded upon the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. And here, spread before us this morning, are the symbols of His death and resurrection and our union with Him. This is where the people of God come to find grace and strength to grow up in all respects into Him who our Head. Access to this Table is one of chief benefits of our priestly standing as the “in Greer saints” of God. And it is at this Table that all “faithful brethren in Christ” express their active faith in Him. Furthermore, it at this Table that we receive “grace and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” In the bread and wine we see the symbols of God’s free grace and favor toward us in Christ. The bread and the wine train us to see that our salvation and growth in grace are to be received as a free gift, as grace from God. In the bread and wine we likewise see the symbols of God’s peace, his shalom, for Christ himself is our peace and has established peace between God and us by the blood of His cross. The bread and the wine train us to see that the peace we have with God and one another is nurtured and maintained at the Table, “For we, though many, are one bread and one body; for we all partake of that one bread” (1 Cor. 10:17). So then, are you in need of God’s grace and peace to strengthen you, to grant you growth to maturity in Christ? Then come, this Table is for you!

8th Sunday after Pentecost: Colossians 1:1-2

2008-07-06T18:28:00.000-07:00

This morning we begin a series on Paul’s Epistle to the Colossians. As one of Paul’s prison epistles, Colossians hasn’t received quite as much attention as Ephesians and Philippians, but it is well worth our attention. As I hope you’ll begin to see this morning, this letter should prove beneficial to our young church as we seek to be rooted and established in the gospel of Jesus Christ. This morning we will consider 1:1-2, but before jumping right in, I believe it will be beneficial for us to consider some introductory material.
The city of Colossae was located in the fertile Lycus Valley region of Phrygia in Asia Minor. It was situated along a major trade route running from Ephesus, 100 miles to the west, to the Euphrates, 400 miles to the east. In the centuries before Christ it was a great city. By the time Paul this letter, however, Colossae had declined in importance under the shadows of Heirapolis and Laodicea. Scholars agree that this is the least significant city to which Paul writes a letter. Yet, Colossae was something of a cosmopolitan city composed of both Jews and Gentiles. Among the Gentiles you would have some still clinging to the old gods of the classical Greek world, while others were no doubt drawn to the new knowledge found in the mystery religions. The Jews in this region had been brought from Babylon and Mesopotamia in the early 2nd century BC by Antiochus III.
The church in Colossae owed its origin to the evangelistic ministry associated with Paul’s three year stay in Ephesus from AD 52-55. According to Acts 19:10 Paul’s ministry at the school of Tyrannus resulted in all of Asia (Colossae included) hearing the word of the Lord Jesus. The church was likely founded by Epaphras, who is mentioned several times in Colossians and is described as, “our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf”(1:7). The church was likely composed of mostly Gentile converts from paganism as can be seen from various descriptions of their pre-Christian lives (1:21; 3:5-11). They were a young church, anywhere from 1-7 years old depending on when we date the letter, a church very much like our own.
So why does Paul write the letter? It appears that Epaphras has brought word to Paul that some false teachers are attempting to lead the young church away from her faith in the supremacy and sufficiency of Christ. The identity of these false teachers is a matter of some dispute, but it is clear from the references to food, circumcision, and Sabbaths that they were Jews, perhaps even Jewish Christians. These false teachers were telling the Colossians that to grow to maturity in Christ they must adopt certain Jewish mystical practices. And in their youthful immaturity there was some danger of the Colossian being confused as to how to progress in their faith.
It is into this context of confusion regarding Christian growth – its basis and shape, that Paul wrote Colossians. His message in the book has been aptly summed up by one commentator as follows, “The way to maturity for the people of God does not lie in their becoming Jews, but rather in their drawing out, and applying to personal and communal life, the meaning of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.” In other words, Paul sets before them (and us) the way to grow up in Christ, a way founded upon union with Christ in His death and resurrection, and a way that works itself out into every aspect of their lives as individuals, families, and a church. It should be quite clear how readily applicable and valuable this message is to us. As a young church, set in a culture at odds with the gospel, we too can become confused as to how to grow in Christ. Now, our temptation won’t be to seek maturity by becoming Jewish mystics (!), but we too hear a cacophony of voices advising us as to how to grow in Christ. So where do you go to grow in Christ? Well, Paul will tell you that you go no further than where you began with faith in Christ and union with Him in His death and resurrection. This faith in Christ and union with Christ provides you with all you need to grow to maturity.
Given this background and purpose, let us briefly consider how Paul begins this letter in his introductory greeting found in 1:1-2. As was typical in ancient letters, the opening is brief and serves to identify the sender(s), recipients, and the greeting. The way that each of these is described, however, is important and gives us insight into the purpose of his writing.
The letter is, of course, sent from “Paul an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God.” In addition to the twelve, Paul was commissioned by Christ as an apostle in his vision on the Damascus road. Paul would often highlight his apostleship in contexts where he believed he might be challenged (such as Galatians). In this letter he probably simply wanted to establish his credentials at the outset. He adds that his apostleship is “by the will of God,” which not only reinforces his authority (not by the will of men), but also connects his ministry to the redemptive plan of God. Paul’s calling as an apostle, and his writing of this letter, were to be seen as a part of God’s will to bring about a new creation through His Son (see 1:25ff.). As was almost always the case, Paul also introduces a second sender, in this case “Timothy, our brother.” Timothy was, of course, Paul’s most trusted comrade and emissary in several quite difficult circumstances (to the Corinthians, the Philippians, and the Thessalonians for instance). And the title, “brother,” indicates not simply that Timothy is a part of God’s family, but that he is a trusted teacher. Perhaps Paul envisioned having to send Timothy to Colossae to assist Epaphras and Archippus.
Next, we learn something about the recipients of the letter. Following the Greek structure of the sentence, the letter is addressed to “the in Colossae saints and faithful brethren in Christ. Note how this description is balanced by the two references, “in Colossae” and “in Christ.” Paul is indicating that to be numbered among the saints in the visible church of Colossae is to be located also “in Christ.” The term “saints” means “holy ones” and is a priestly term. Just as Israel was called as God’s holy nation and royal priesthood, so also the Colossians has been set apart for priestly service in Asia Minor. And the same is true of you in Christ Jesus. As you have placed your faith in Christ and been baptized into Christ, you have been set apart as saints, priestly servants of your God and King. Furthermore, Paul describes the Colossians as “faithful brethren in Christ.” The term, “faithful,” simply means “believing.” The body (“brethren”)in Colossae were actively trusting in Jesus. But note where this ongoing faith happens: “in Christ.” The phrase “in Christ” isn’t specifying the content of their faith (they believe in Christ), but rather the means (union with Christ) of their continuing to believe. In other words, their ongoing faith in Jesus is itself rooted in their union with Jesus. And this is just what Jesus taught us in John 15 where he said, “He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing” (v.5). What Paul is telling us is that you can’t even continuing believing apart from union with Christ.
And to these believing priests of God in Colossae, with their need to grow into maturity in Christ, Paul conveys the following greeting: “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” The phrase “Grace to you” was similar to a traditional Greek greeting, but its meaning is transformed in Paul’s theology. “Grace” is God’s free love and favor in Christ, the riches of every spiritual blessing bestowed upon them in Him. Paul wants them to see that the Christian life and growth in it, are rooted and sustained in the gift of God’s favor. There’s nothing that they must “do” to grow, that is not already “given” to them in Christ. Furthermore, Paul greets them with, and extends to them, the “peace” of God. “Peace” is a translation of the Hebrew word, “Shalom,” which refers to wholeness and restored relations between God and man and between man and man. It is rich term signifying fullness of well-being, harmony, and life. This peace conveyed by God is Trinitarian in nature: it is established by the God the Father; it is mediated by God the Son; and it is preserved by God the Holy Spirit. It is to this Trinitarian peace that Paul commends the Colossians for their growth to maturity. And it is this Trinitarian peace that we extend to one another in the passing of the peace. Our practice of passing the peace in worship is actually training us to practice a better form of greeting one another. Paul doesn’t just say, “Hey, what’s up. My name’s Paul and I want to help you grow in Jesus.” No, Paul is concerned, even in his greetings, to define relationships by God’s grace and peace in Christ. And in so doing he actually shapes the lives of the Colossians.
So then, we’ve seen that Paul introduces this letter regarding the way to maturity in Christ by first assuring this church of their standing in Christ. We’ve seen that Paul identifies the Colossians as faithful priests who have united to Christ and commends them to the unmerited favor and shalom of God as the source for their growth in Christ. And beloved this is the source of your growth as well! All of you who put your faith in Jesus, who have baptized into Him, are reckoned saints, priests of God set apart to serve Him. You’ve united to Christ by God free gift and favor. He’s given you the gift of faith and sustains you in that faith by grace alone. He’s established peace with you and among you by the cross of Jesus and the outpouring of the Spirit. Look nowhere else for growth in Christ, but to Christ Himself in the company of His people. And as you seek maturity in Christ, encourage one another by practicing a better form of greeting one another by defining your relationships in terms of the grace and peace that come from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!

Better than the 4th

2008-07-06T18:23:00.000-07:00

Two days ago our nation celebrated, “Independence Day,” a holiday commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain. This is always a festive day, marked by parades, feasting, and fireworks. It is a time when families, communities, and our nation as a whole, come together to celebrate our independence. Even so, as God’s holy nation, the nation of His choosing, the Church of Jesus Christ has a Day to celebrate our independence from the Kingdom of Satan and citizenship in the Kingdom of God. Our Independence Day occurs on the first day of every week and is likewise to be a festive day marked by our own parade into the courts of heaven, feasting in God’s presence, and songs of deliverance and joy. This Day is likewise to be a day when families, communities, and nations, come together to celebrate our redemption. Church of the Lord Jesus Christ, citizens of His of heavenly kingdom, be sure that you enter into the celebration of this Day with joy and gladness far surpassing any this-worldly holiday. The holidays of this world are but parodies of the true holy days that mark the Church’s calendar. Whereas the holidays of this world tend to celebrate what one describes as, “the claim that man, especially in the exercise of political power, is able to bring about his own salvation as well as that of the world.” Our holy days celebrate the exercise of God’s sovereign power to bring about our salvation and that of the world through the person and work of His Son. In light of the surpassing greatness of what God has done for us, let us mark this Day with joy and gladness far surpassing that of the 4th of July! Amen.

Welcome

2008-07-03T07:36:00.000-07:00

Greetings! Welcome to "The Beaton Trail" where you'll find my thoughts on what it means to walk in the Way. The Way, of course, is the Way of Jesus; the Way that He has established through the wilderness of sin and death and into the new creation of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit (Is. 40-55). The Way was also, however, an early name applied to the Christian Church (Acts. 9:2). Walking in the Way of Jesus is something done in the context of the Way, which is the Church of Jesus. I'll regularly be posting my sermons and other material from our services in addition to other thoughts on what it means to walk in, and among, this Way.